North Korea sentences U.S. citizen Matthew Todd Miller to six years hard labor

North Korea sentenced U.S. citizen Matthew Todd Miller to six years hard labor for committing "hostile acts" as a tourist to the isolated country, a statement carried by state media said on Sunday.

"He committed acts hostile to the DPRK while entering the territory of the DPRK under the guise of a tourist last April," the short statement said, without elaborating.

Miller, from Bakersfield, California and in his mid-20s, entered North Korea in April this year whereupon he tore up his tourist visa and demanded Pyongyang grant him asylum, according to a release from state media at the time.

Photos of the trial released by state media showed some of Miller's personal possessions, including his passport and North Korean visa - which was ripped. Miller was also shown sitting in a witness box, flanked by North Korean soldiers.

North Korea has yet to announce a trial date for fellow U.S. citizen Jeffrey Fowle, 56, from Miamisburg, Ohio, who was arrested in May this year for leaving a bible under the toilet of a sailor's club in the eastern port city of Chongjin.

U.S. missionary Kenneth Bae has been held by the isolated country since December 2012 and is serving a sentence of 15 years hard labor for crimes North Korea said amounted to a plot to overthrow the state.

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North Korea, Matthew Todd Miller, DPRK, Pyongyang, Jeffrey Fowle

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