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North Korea threatens to increase punishment for detained American

(LEAD) N. Korea sentences U.S. man to 8 years of hard labor for illegal entry By Sam Kim SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea sentenced a detained U.S. man to eight years of hard labor and a hefty fine for illegal entry into the communist state and hostility toward it, its official media reported Wednesday. The move contrasts with Pyongyang's release in February of an American activist detained also for illegal entry, suggesting that the regime is trying to use the latest case as a negotiating card amid a nuclear standoff with Washington. Aijalon Mahli Gomes (Data picture) The...

US Citizen Facing Trial in North Korea a 'Passionate' Christian Those who know him say a U.S. citizen facing trial for entering North Korea illegally is a passionate Christian, but has occasional social difficulties. Kurt Achin | Seoul23 March 2010 Former colleagues of Aijalon Mahli Gomes say they were shocked to learn that he is the person North Korean authorities have been holding in custody for more than two months. North Korean media announced the arrest of a U.S. citizen in late January, but did not identify the individual until Monday. Gomes is a 30-year-old man from Boston, Massachusetts. North...

North Korea to try U.S. man for illegal entry SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea said on Monday it will put a 30-year-old U.S. man on trial for illegally entering the country. The man is likely the U.S. citizen the North has held since January after he supposedly entered the reclusive state from China, South Korean government officials told local media. The North identified the man as Aijalon Mahli Gomes, adding he was from Boston. His "crime has been confirmed," its official KCNA news agency said without elaborating. North Korea has used detained American citizens as bargaining chips with the United...