HANOI: Two South Koreans were among 18 people sentenced to death on drug smuggling and trafficking charges in Vietnam, state media said.
The communist country has some of the toughest drug laws in the world, and is notoriously secretive about its executions.South Korean ex-police officer Kim Soon-sik, 63, and compatriot Kang Seon-hok, 30, were sentenced to death following a four-day trial in Ho Chin Minh City, state media said late Saturday.Chinese citizen Li Tian Guan, 58, and alleged Vietnamese ringleader Le Ho Vu, 36, were also handed death sentences.
It added that one person, who was under 18 years old, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.There was no indication when the executions would be carried out.This photo released by the Vietnam News Agency on November 12, 2023 shows defendants standing during their trial for drug trafficking in Ho Chi Minh. Two South Koreans were among 18 people sentenced to death on drug smuggling and trafficking charges in Vietnam, state media said on November 12, 2023.