A Chinese court sentenced a South Korean drug trafficker...

A Chinese court sentenced a South Korean drug trafficker to death.The civil court of Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province, sentenced a 55-year-old male, identified only as Lee, to capital punishment and ordered an accomplice, listed as Kim, 46, to serve 10 years in jail.
Lee was accused of manufacturing 8.27kg of narcotics and some 704kg of semi-processed drugs.
The two Koreans were arrested on March 7 2001, and indicted on November 29, 2001. Sources said the trial began January 5 and the court wasted no time in handing down its ruling.
The defendants and their families said they are to appeal.
The execution of a South Korean man in September 2001, also on drug trafficking charges, led to diplomatic tension between Beijing and Seoul over claims that China violated the Vienna Convention on consular services by not giving prior notification of the execution. However, China later proved that the South Korean Embassy in Beijing and the Shenyang consular office had been properly notified when the ruling was first handed down.