U.S. Condemns 'Seven-Year Sentence of Chinese Journalists' for Spying'... "Should Be Released Immediately"

The U.S. State Department has called for immediate and unconditional release of the Chinese journalist, who was sentenced to prison on espionage charges after being arrested for lunch with a Japanese diplomat.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement in the name of a spokesperson that it condemned the Chinese court decision to sentence the isotope to seven years as an unfair sentence.

It also pointed out that the commission's arrest and sentencing show that China is not keeping its promises to international law and the Chinese Constitution, which includes the right to freedom of speech.

In addition, he said that he honors the achievements of the Commission, a veteran journalist and editor, who contributed to human relations between the U.S. and China.

Earlier, a Beijing court sentenced Lee Dong-wi, a former columnist at Gwangmyeong Ilbo, to seven years in prison, according to Reuters and other foreign media.

The committee was arrested in February 2022 along with a Japanese diplomat who was present for lunch at a restaurant in central Beijing.

After graduating from the prestigious Beijing University School of Law, he joined the state-run Gwangmyeong Ilbo in 1987 and has written a column advocating centrist reform from a liberal perspective while refraining from direct criticism of President Xi Jinping.