CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the article in The Pyongyang Times was the first time North Korea mentioned the two Michaels case. The headline and story have been updated throughout to reflect that state media previously referenced their arrest in 2019.

A North Korean media outlet has reported that China “recently” arrested two Canadian nationals for espionage, in what appeared to be an attempt to weigh in on the latest developments in the case of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig nearly five years after they were detained.

In an article published on Friday, The