An American recently sentenced to six years' hard labour by a North Korean court pretended to have secret US information and was deliberately arrested to become famous and meet US missionary Kenneth Bae in a North Korean prison, state media said yesterday.

Matthew Miller, 25, of Bakersfield, California, prepared his story and wrote in a notebook that he was seeking refuge after failing in an attempt to collect information about the US government, according to state media. He was arrested when he tore up his tourist visa in April.