Division Growing
On June 23rd, two South Korean citizens were sentenced to life behind bars in North Korea. The country's state-run Central TV reported that Kim Kuk-gi, 60, and Choe Chun-gil, 55, were found guilty of spying at the orders of South Korea and sentenced to hard labor for life. Pyongyang arrested these Koreans from the Chinese border city of Dandong in March and accused them of working at the orders of South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS).
Following the release of the verdict, the South Korean government today publicly criticized North Korea of “unilateral sentencing.” Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said at a press briefing that the verdict is completely unjustified and “flies in the face of international humanitarian values.” The spokesman also urged Pyongyang to release two other South Koreans detained in the DPRK along with Kim and Choe, saying the South Korean government was making efforts to encourage the DPRK to release the detainees by cooperating with the international community.
“We are currently making efforts at the inter-Korean level for the prompt return of our people, and cooperating with the international community, including international organizations and relevant nations,” Lim said during the press briefing.
He declined to provide detailed information about “the diplomatic efforts” that the South Korean government is currently making, saying that he cannot speak on behalf of foreign governments.
The other two detainees are Joo Won-moon, a 21-year-old student, and Kim Jung-wook, a missionary who was sentenced in 2014 to hard labor for life.