Watchdog Urges North Korea to Overturn ‘Chilling’ Death Sentences for Reporters

The Committee to Protect Journalists called on Pyongyang on Friday to overturn death sentences it had handed in absentia to two South Korean reporters for allegedly defaming the North.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A central court in North Korea was reported Thursday to have given death penalty to Son Hyo-rim and Yang Ji-ho and their newspaper publishers for reviewing a book about the country.

"North Korea's threat to execute Son Hyo-rim and Yang Ji-ho for writing critically about the regime is at the same time ridiculous and chilling. North Korea should immediately commute the death sentence and end its hostile rhetoric," CPJ deputy chief Robert Mahoney said.

The watchdog cited Son’s colleague from the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper as saying the female journalist was a culture reporter who did not cover North Korea regularly. The book, North Korea Confidential, has received extensive coverage and it is not clear why Pyongyang has singled out the two reviewers, he said.