Post by Focus on Apr 27, 2013 11:07:00 GMT
* Both the U.S. and North Korea are mum on details of Kenneth Bae's
indictment, but Bae's friends and colleagues say he was on a Christian
mission to feed orphans
* Bae will likely be handed a harsh sentence, making him a valuable
bargaining chip in negotiations with the United States and South Korea
North Korean said it will soon put on trial an American tourist they’ve accused of trying to overthrow the government.
After weeks war cries against the U.S. and South Korea, the indictment of Kenneth Bae broke a relative lull in threats and provocative acts by the rogue state.
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has expressed rage over U.N. sanctions over a February nuclear test and ongoing U.S.-South Korean military drills, though analysts say Pyongyang's motive is to get its Korean War foes to negotiate on its own terms.
Rogue : Led by Kim Jong Un, pictured, North Korea has indicted an American tourist on charges of plotting to overthrow the government
Identified in North Korea’s state media by his Korean name, Pae Jun Ho, Bae is a tour operator of Korean descent who was arrested after arriving with a tour on Nov. 3 in Rason, a special economic zone bordering China and Russia.
He is the sixth American detained in North Korea since 2009.
The other Americans were eventually deported or released after high-profile diplomatic interventions, including some involving former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
Analysts say the North will likely soon hand Bae a harsh punishment to use him as a bargaining chip in possible negotiations with the United States.
In 2009, American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for trespassing and unspecified hostile acts.
They were freed later that year after former President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang to negotiate their release.
Odd : The rogue state has lately made many unusual threats from its capital Pyongyang, pictured
Hereditary : Like his father Kim Jong Il, pictured, Kim Jong Un is likely using Bae as a bargaining chip with the U.S. and South Korea
‘The preliminary inquiry into crimes committed by American citizen Pae Jun Ho closed,’ the official Korean Central News Agency said in a brief report.
‘In the process of investigation he admitted that he committed crimes aimed to topple the DPRK with hostility toward it. His crimes were proved by evidence.’
Under North Korea's criminal code, terrorist acts include murdering, kidnapping and injuring the country's citizens can lead to a death sentence or life in jail.
North Korea and the United States fought the 1950-53 Korean War and still don't have diplomatic relations.
Token : In 2009, North Korea held two American journalists until former president Bill Clinton negotiated their release
The Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the United States.
KCNA didn't say when Bae's trial will take place or what the charges were.
North Korea's state media and the U.S. government have made little information about Bae public.
But his friends, colleagues and South Korean activists specializing in North Korea affairs said Bae is a Christian missionary based in a Chinese border town who frequently made trips to North Korea to feed orphans there.
It is not known whether he tried to evangelize while in North Korea.
Officially, North Korea guarantees freedom of religion. In practice, authorities crack down on Christians, who are seen as Western-influenced threats to the government.
The distribution of Bibles and secret prayer services can mean banishment to a labor camp or execution, defectors from the country have said.
I'll start praying, I've got a feeling Kenneth Bae may need all the prayers he can get! - Fx
