four South Korean citizens received suspended death sentences

four South Korean citizens received suspended death sentences in a Chinese court for manufacturing and selling drugs, the South Korean Foreign Ministry said. Another South Korean man, tried at the same court in the north-eastern Chinese city of Shenyang on similar charges, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, the ministry added. The four were elderly people aged between 56-71 while the fifth convict was 35 years old, the ministry said. "The government will do its best to protect our nationals, but we also ask people to be aware that it is very dangerous to commit narcotics-related crimes in China as the country delivers heavier sentences for narcotics offenses and strictly applies the applicable laws," said ministry spokesman Lee Kyu-hyung in a statement.