SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said today that two U.S. journalists arrested in the communist nation near its border with China two months ago will go on trial June 4.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency gave no other details in its brief dispatch, including what charges they face.
North Korean media previously have said the two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, are accused of illegal entry and unspecified “hostile” acts.
Under North Korea’s criminal code, conviction for illegal entry could mean up to three years in a labor camp. Espionage or “hostility toward North Koreans” — possible crimes that could be considered “hostile” acts — could mean five to 10 years in prison, according to South Korean officials.
The journalists, who work for San Francisco-based Current TV, a media venture founded by former Vice President Al Gore, were detained March 17 near the border while reporting on refugees living in China.
