American student Otto Warmbier suffers hard labor in North Korea

(Baonghean.vn) - Otto Warmbier, an American student, was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for crimes against the government.

Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea.

Warmbier, who was arrested for attempting to steal a hotel billboard during a trip to North Korea in January, later went on television to confess that a church group had asked him to bring back a “trophy” from his trip.

In some cases, North Korea has used detention of foreign visitors to increase pressure on dissidents.

Stephen Evans of the BBC in South Korea said the 15-year sentence was too high compared to past sentences handed down to foreigners, possibly due to the current tensions between North Korea and the US.

Warmbier, 21, a student at the University of Virginia, was arrested on January 2 while trying to leave North Korea. He was charged with "hostile acts."

The North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said he came to North Korea to "destroy national unity" and that he was "controlled" by the US government.

In late February, at a tearful press conference in Pyongyang, Warmbier said he had "committed the crime of removing a political slogan from the Yanggakdo International Hotel. It was such a stupid purpose,"

The ruling came a day after US diplomat Bill Richardson met with North Korean officials at the United Nations in New York in an effort to push for Warmbier's release.

Mr. Richardson has been directly involved in negotiations for the release of American citizens detained in North Korea.

Pyongyang has also expressed anger as the US and South Korea conduct annual military exercises involving up to 315,000 troops this year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has threatened "indiscriminate" nuclear strikes against the United States and South Korea, and said North Korea would soon test a nuclear warhead.

Tu Linh

According to BBC