North Korean Kangaroo Court Sentences US Reporters To 12 Years In Prison

This shouldn't surprise anyone. The odious regime in Pyongang sentences Euna Lee and Laura Ling to 12 years in prison, claiming that the two engaged in "grave crimes" against the regime.

The Central Court of North Korea sentenced Laura Ling and Euna Lee for the "grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing," the Korean Central News Agency said.

As a result, the court sentenced the women to "12 years of reform through labor," meaning they will serve out their sentence in a labor prison.

A U.S. State Department spokesman, Ian Kelley, said the Swedish ambassador in North Korea confirmed the sentence with North Korean authorities. Sweden represents U.S. interests in North Korea; the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with North Korea.

There's no word from the Obama Administration over this latest provocation and test of the Administration.

The North Koreans claim that Lee and Ling illegally crossed into North Korea, but there is some dispute as to whether that actually happened. Reports at the time of the incident claim that the two were inside Chinese territory overlooking the border when the North Koreans captured the two.

UPDATE:
North Korea has also banned ships from coming near its coastline. Considering that North and South Korea share a common border - the DMZ, and that there have been incidents in the past dealing with border intrusions, expect to see North Korea go after South Korean shipping, claiming that they illegally entered North Korean waters.