A South Korean Court has convicted an ethnic Korean man from China of abducting a Christian pastor and taking him to North Korea.

Ryu Youn-hwa, 35, of Korean descent, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Seoul central District Court, according to the Associated Press.

Ryu was arrested in Seoul in December and was charged with helping North Korean agents kidnap South Korean Christian Missionary Kim Dong-shik from northern China.

The Court said that Ryu had kidnapped North Korean defectors and sent them back "only for the purpose of money," according to AP.

"A heavy sentence is inevitable since the defendant committed the same crime to Pastor Kim." It is not known where Kim is now.

Kim had been partaking in missionary activities in northern china where he would reportedly help North Koreans living in hiding in China after fleeing from their homelands.

It is believed that tens of thousands of North Koreans are living in China having fled their nation, which is among the most repressive regimes in the world.

It was not clear if Ryu would appeal the decision.





Francis Helguero
Christian Today Correspondent