Two American Journalists Held in North Korea Pardoned

American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are free after 6 months of imprisonment in North Korea, after being pardoned and released to former US President Bill Clinton, who traveled to that despotic nation to negotiate on their behalf. Via Associated Press:

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has issued a "special pardon" to two American journalists convicted of sneaking into the country illegally, and he ordered them released during a visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, North Korean media reported early Wednesday.

The release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee was a sign of North Korea's "humanitarian and peaceloving policy," the Korean Central News Agency reported.

Clinton, who arrived in North Korea Tuesday on an unannounced visit, met with the reclusive and ailing Kim — his first meeting with a prominent Western figure since his reported stroke nearly a year ago.

North Korea accused Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, of sneaking into the country illegally in March and engaging in "hostile acts," and the nation's top court sentenced them in June to 12 years of hard labor.

Thank God who has softened the hearts of the tyrants and blessed this mission with success, bringing these two prisoners to liberty once more. Please continue to pray for all the hostages and prisoners of conscience throughout the world.

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Possible Amnesty for American Reporters?

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on North Korea to grant an amnesty to jailed reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were sentenced to 12 years hard labor last month after being accused of illegally crossing N. Korea's border with China. Via Bradenton Herald:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked for "amnesty" for the two journalists on Friday, a departure from her previous demands the two journalists be released on humanitarian grounds. Rather than offer an apology from the United States, Clinton offered an apology on behalf of the families.

"The two journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident, and I think everyone is sorry that it happened," Clinton said Friday during a meeting with State Department employees. "What he hope for now is that these two young women would be granted amnesty through the North Korean system and be allowed to return home to their families as soon as possible."

Ling and Lee were filming a story on the human trafficking of North Korean refugees escaping into China when they were arrested. Please continue to pray for their protection and swift release, and for the safety of those helpless refugees they risked their lives to report on.

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Two American Journalists Sentenced to 12 Years Hard Labor

A grim look at what lies ahead for two American journalists sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea yesterday. Via The Los Angeles Times:

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for San Francisco-based Current TV, were convicted by the nation's top Central Court of an unspecified "grave crime" against the hard-line regime after they were arrested in March along the Chinese-North Korean border while reporting a story on human trafficking.

In a terse statement Monday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency did not say where the women are to serve the time. North Koreans who receive similar sentences of "reform through labor" often face starvation and torture in a penal system many consider among the world's most repressive, said David Hawk, author of the 2004 study "The Hidden Gulag: Exposing North Korea's Prison Camps."

Amid an international outcry over the sentences, the White House said Monday that it was "engaged through all possible channels" in seeking the release of Ling, 32, and Lee, 36.

[. . .]

If the pair are held for a lengthy period, analysts believe they may be sent to a kyo-hwa-so, or "reeducation" reformatory, "that is the equivalent of a felony penitentiary in the U.S., as opposed to a county jail or misdemeanor facility," Hawk said.

"It's extremely hard labor under extremely brutal conditions," he said. "These places have very high rates of deaths in detention. The casualties from forced labor and inadequate food supplies are very high."

Many North Korean reeducation camps, he said, are affiliated with mines or textile factories where the long work shifts are often followed by self-criticism sessions and the forced memorization of North Korean communist policy doctrine.

Please continue to pray urgently for Laura Ling and Euna Lee, that they will be protected and adequately nourished during their imprisonment, and that their release can be negotiated soon.

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Trial Begins for 2 American Journalists in N. Korea

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, American reporters for Current TV, go on trial today for allegedly entering into North Korean territory with hostile intent, and could face up to 10 years of hard labor if they are convicted. Via CNN:

(CNN) -- Two U.S. journalists detained in North Korea were to go on trial Thursday, North Korean state media said.
Euna Lee has been in North Korean custody since March, when she and another reporter were detained.

The journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were reporting on the plight of North Korean defectors living along the China-North Korea border when they were taken into custody on March 17.

Ling and Lee are reporters for California-based Current TV, a media venture of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

North Korea has charged the reporters with illegal entry into the country and hostile acts.

The trial was scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Thursday, (2 a.m. ET), according to the state-run news agency KCNA.

Analysts have said that the trial could be very short and that sentences could be delivered Thursday.

The women could face years in labor camps if convicted.

The US has maintained that the two women were on the Chinese side of the border and were dragged across by North Korean border guards.

Please continue to pray for their safety and for the success of diplomatic efforts underway to gain their release.

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American Journalists Being Interrogated for Espionage

The two American journalists being held by North Korea are now undergoing "intense interrogation" on suspicions of spying. Via The Telegraph:

The two women are undergoing "intense interrogation" by North Korean investigators, who are looking for signs they were spying on military installations, an unnamed intelligence official told the South Korean JoongAng Ilbo newspaper.

The US, which does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea, has confirmed that it is in contact with officials in Pyongyang to try and secure the release of the two reporters.

According to reports, they were arrested on March 17 by North Korean soldiers after they strayed into North Korean territory by crossing the frozen Tumen River, which marks North Korea's border with China.

The narrow river is a frequent escape route for refugees fleeing North Korea, which was the subject of a documentary being filmed by the pair.

The US maintains that the women were on the Chinese side of the border when they were grabbed by North Korean border guards, and subsequently taken to the capitol, Pyongyang.

Please continue to pray for the safety of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, and for their swift release.

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American Journalists Held by North Korea

Kidnapped American Journalists Being Interrogated in N. Korea

Laura Ling

Euna Lee

The North Korean government confirmed that it is holding two American journalist grabbed at a disputed border crossing last week, and has moved them to the capital Pyongyang for interrogation. Via Fox News:

North Korea said Saturday it was investigating two Americans it detained Tuesday for "illegally intruding" into its territory after crossing the border from China.

A brief dispatch from the North's official Korean Central News Agency gave no other details, but it was apparent confirmation of reported arrests of two female U.S. journalists reporting on North Korean refugees in the border area.

South Korean media and a South Korean missionary identified the two detained Americans as Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's San Francisco-based media outlet Current TV.

A U.S. official said Saturday that the U.S. has been in touch with North Korean representatives about the journalists and is awaiting a reply. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing the sensitivity of the issue, said the U.S. doesn't know where the North is holding them.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said Sunday, in a report from the Chinese city of Yanji, that it is highly likely that they were sent to Pyongyang to be investigated for their alleged border intrusion.

Please continue to pray for the safety of the two journalists and for their swift release.

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American Journalists Held by North Korea