朝鲜判处一名韩裔美国人15年劳役徒刑

North Korea says it has sentenced an American citizen to 15 years of hard labor after finding him guilty of committing what it says are "hostile acts" against the state.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday that Pae Jun-ho, known as Kenneth Bae in the United States, was convicted by the country's supreme court Tuesday.

North Korea previously said he confessed to committing crimes aimed at overthrowing the government. But it has not specified the exact nature of those alleged crimes.

The 44-year-old was arrested in November in the northeastern port city of Rason, which lies in a special economic zone near the border with Russia and China.

VOA has learned that Bae was a Korean-American tour operator who may have been arrested after being found with a computer that carried sensitive or controversial information.

Earlier this week, the U.S. State Department called for North Korea to release Bae on humanitarian grounds, saying the welfare of American citizens is a "critical and top priority."