A US citizen has been sentenced to 15 years hard labour for trying to overthrow the government of North Korea.
The communist regime's state news agency says Kenneth Bay - who was arrested in November - committed 'hostile acts' against the country.
Tensions are running high between America and North Korea after Pyongyang's third nuclear test.
Sky's Mark Stone thinks Mr Bay is being used as a bargaining chip between the two countries:
The KCNA report indicated that the American was sentenced on Tuesday for "carrying out serious crimes" against North Korea, without specifying what exactly he allegedly had done. He was arrested November 3 in Rason City.
The U.S. State Department had appealed on Monday for Bae's release on humanitarian grounds.
Some Americans have previously crossed the border without a visa, either knowingly or by mistake, but in this case, the U.S. official said, "This was somebody who was a tour operator who has been there in the past and has a visa to go to the North."
Bae's sentencing comes amid tense relations between North Korea and both the United States and its staunch ally South Korea. In recent weeks, the North has intensified threats against its neighbor and the United States.
Facebook page dedicated to Kenneth Bae after his November detention in North Korea.
