Matthew Miller Trial Begins In North Korea

I figured this guy had some kind of mental problem to want to defect to North Korea, but if what the North Koreans say is true Miller still has mental issues but for a different reason:

North Korea’s Supreme Court on Sunday sentenced a 24-year-old American man to six years of hard labor for entering the country illegally and trying to commit espionage.

At a trial that lasted about 90 minutes, the court said Matthew Miller, of Bakersfield, California, tore up his tourist visa at Pyongyang’s airport upon arrival on April 10 and admitted to having the “wild ambition” of experiencing prison life so that he could secretly investigate North Korea’s human rights situation.

Miller, who waived the right to a lawyer, was handcuffed and led from the courtroom after his sentencing. The court ruled that it would not hear any appeals to its decision.

Earlier, it had been believed that Miller had sought asylum when he entered North Korea. During the trial, however, the prosecution argued that it was a ruse and that Miller also falsely claimed to have secret information about the U.S. military in South Korea on his iPad and iPod.  [Associated Press]

You can read more at the link, but the North Koreans have trotted out Miller like the other two Americans they have detained to plead for the US to release them by sending a senior representative.  If the Obama administration does decide to send someone I wonder if Bill Clinton be interested in going back over there again?

Anyway Yonhap is reporting that he was sentenced to six years of hard labor.