Prison term confirmed for N.K. spy

The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed a five-year prison term for a North Korean female spy posing as a defector for engaging in espionage activities.

The 47-year-old woman, only identified by her surname Lee, was convicted of engaging in spying activities such as collecting information about Seoul's intelligence agents during her stays in China before coming to South Korea in 2011.

"The court agrees with lower courts' guilty verdict that (Lee) engaged in spying activities in Shenyang, Qingdao and Beijing, in violation of the National Security Law," Judge Ko Young-han said in his ruling.

Lee then entered South Korea in February 2011 by disguising herself as a North Korean defector. However, Lee was unable to engage in any actual spying because she was arrested during a routine investigation of newly arrived defectors.

During trials, Lee claimed to have been coerced to become a spy, saying that North Korea's intelligence agency threatened to hurt her family if she did not cooperate with their demands. (Yonhap News)