Seoul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Twelve years of hard labour for “hostile acts” and “illegally entering” the country.  That was the sentence handed down today by Pyongyang’s Supreme Court to Euna Lee (American of Korean origins) and Laura Ling (American of Chinese origins).  No international observers or journalist were allowed access to the closed door trial.

The two women were first arrested in March: the two women were stopped by authorities for having “illegitimately” crossed the border between China and North Korea. Analysts underline the “excessively” harsh sentence: their charges believed to carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison under North Korean criminal law.

In a statement, the US State Department expressed its’ “deep concerned” and has promised “every effort”, to obtain their release.  Some witnesses have stated that at the moment of their arrest on March 17th last, the women were actually on Chinese soil when they were arrested by North Korean police.

International observers say that Euna Lee and Laura Ling could be used as “bargaining chips” by Kim Jong-il to gain greater economic aid and concessions from Washington.  In recent weeks tensions have mounted between the North and the international community in the wake of Pyongyang’s nuclear test and missile launches.  The two women’s families have appealed for clemency, and asked Pyongyang and Washington not to link the case to the current diplomatic stand-off between them.