Christian missionary gets 10 years hard labor in North Korea after 'espionage' allegations

A Korean American man was sentenced on Friday, April 29 to 10 years of hard labor in North Korea after he was convicted guilty on charges of "unpardonable espionage."

North Korean authorities said Kim Dong Chul, 62, was stealing valuable information including military secrets and giving them to South Korea.

"The accused confessed to all crimes he had committed ... and gathered and offered information on its party, state and military affairs to the South Korean puppet regime, which are tantamount to state subversive plots and espionage," North Korean state news agency KCNA reported, according to Reuters.

Kim, who was born in Seoul, is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Before his arrest in October 2015, he had been frequenting North Korea on business trips, having established a business in the special economic zone in Rason in 2008.

In January, a woman saw him on T.V. and recognized him as the Christian missionary she had met in the U.S. in 2007. Ma Young-ae said she remembered seeing Kim talk to churches and ask for their support in the work that he was doing in North Korea.

Kim had been sending medical aid to Rason from China in order "to help poor North Koreans," according to a previous Reuters report.

Ma's statement was confirmed by another pastor, Park Simon, who had been with Kim in some church gatherings. Park said he knew Kim often went to North Korea.

Kim reportedly had asked for help from the U.S. and South Korea to save him. The U.S. State Department refused to comment on the issue, though a department official said they knew about the North Korean Supreme Court's decision regarding Kim.

Aside from Kim, there are five other foreigners detained in North Korea. The country ranks number one among the countries where Christians suffer the most persecution, with an estimated 50,000 to 70,000 Christians serving time in various labor camps.