US man in North Korea jail

Matthew Miller, a US citizen held in North Korea since April for alleged "hostile acts", began a six-year hard labour sentence on Thursday.

He was convicted on September 14 of entering the country illegally to commit espionage.

During a 90-minute trial at North Korea's Supreme Court, it was alleged Miller tore up his tourist visa at Pyongyang's airport upon arrival on April 10.

The court also said he admitted to having a "wild ambition" to experience prison life so that he could secretly investigate North Korea's human rights situation.

Miller is one of three Americans detained in North Korea - Jeffrey Fowle, who was arrested in May for leaving a Bible at a sailor's club, is expected to be tried in court soon. A third man, Kenneth Bae, was sentenced in 2013 to 15 years hard labor.

Reuters reported that North Korea's state media said Miller claimed to have secret US information and was deliberately arrested in a bid to become famous and meet Bae.

"No contact with anyone"

24-year-old Miller answered one question from an Associated Press journalist at a Pyongyang hotel, where he had been taken under close guard, to make a phone call to his family.

Miller was filmed sitting down in a phone booth at the hotel wearing a gray prison uniform and cap.

When asked if he was in prison and if so, what were the conditions like, he said "prison life is eight hours of work per day" and that "mostly it's been agriculture, like in the dirt, digging around."

"Other than that, it's isolation, no contact with anyone. But I have been in good health, and no sickness or no hurts," he continued.

Plea for help

The Associated Press said the 24-year-old had written to US First Lady Michelle Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor Hillary Clinton pleading for help.

The US recently said Pyongyang was using its citizens as "pawns" to win a high-level visit from Washington.

Former US presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton have both made trips to North Korea to secure the release of Americans held in the secretive state.

Robert King, the US special envoy for North Korean human rights issues recently said Pyongyang had not accepted American offers to send a high-level envoy to seek the release of the three men.

King said their release could provide a diplomatic opening in ties between the two countries.

However, he said Washington would not give into attempts to "extort" political gain from the detentions.

lw/mg (AP, Reuters)