**North Korea has sentenced a US citizen to eight years’ hard labour for illegally entering the country, its state news agency KCNA has said.**The man, named as 30-year-old Aijalon Mahli Gomes, from Boston, admitted his wrongdoing in court, KCNA reported.
Gomes had worked as an English teacher in South Korea, and reportedly crossed the border from China on 25 January.
Swedish diplomats were allowed to attend the trial, as the US has no diplomatic presence in North Korea.
In February, North Korea freed Robert Park, who had entered the country from China by walking over a frozen river.
He had reportedly wanted to highlight human rights issues in North Korea, but was said before his release to have admitted his “mistake”.
Last year two US journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were also arrested by North Korea on the border with China.
They were sentenced to 12 years’ hard labour but freed in August after four months in captivity, as part of a diplomatic mission spearheaded by former US President Bill Clinton.This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.