North Korea's must overturn 'cruel verdict' on detained journos :NYT

New York, June 9 (ANI): The verdict by a North Korean court to jail two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, could further sour the already estranged relationship between Washington and Pyongyang, an editorial in the New York Times said.

North Korea's bankrupt justice system may have further aggravated problems for the country by awarding 12 years of hard labor to Lee and Ling.

Such a cruel and inhumane verdict could probably see the United States take some harsh steps against the island nation, it added.

The verdict is seen to have being driven by North Korea's succession saga, or escalating tensions with the United States over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program, but there is no excuse for their (journalists) detention or this outrageous sentence, the editorial opined.

The Obama administration may have been working vigorously with the diplomatic levers to set the journalists free, but is should also urge China, North Korea's main food and fuel supplier, to speak up for the two journalists.

If all the initiatives fail to bring a change in North Korea's attitude, it would only worsen relations with President Obama, who had joined office amid calls for stringent sanctions on North Korea, the editorial concludes. (ANI)