Sources close to the two journalists say they didn't even enter North Korea, and that they were snatched by North Korean border guards while on Chinese soil.

The communist state claims they had entered the country illegally - allegations that have consistently been denied.

Pyongyang's Central Court, the equivalent of the U.S. Supreme Court, tried the two journalists Laura Ling and Seung-eun or "Euna" Lee from June 4th to 8th and found them guilty, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. The Central Court's decisions are final and that means the reporters can't appeal the sentence.

The two journalists were employed by former Vice President Al Gore's California-based Current TV.