What is the reality?

Even though Euna Lee and Laura Ling were handed a sentence of 12 years hard labor, they most likely won’t see the real conditions in North Korea prison system because even Pyongyang knows the situation in the country’s penal system is something to be ashamed of, conditions they would not want released to the world.

But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. they will still probably be sent to a "regular" prison — called a kyohwaso or reformatory — a more dire fate than a prison for political prisoners.

Read some accounts of former prisoners over at Time.com