North Korea to put American journalists on trial
The latest on the two Current TV journalists being held in North Korea:
Two American journalists detained last week by North Korean soldiers are likely to become bargaining chips for North Korea in its feuds with the outside world, according to analysts and politicians in South Korea.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters working for Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV, were seized at 3 a.m. March 17 after walking from China across the shallow Tumen River into North Korea, according to a report in JoongAng Ilbo, a newspaper in Seoul.
The newspaper, citing intelligence sources in the South Korean government, said the two women have been moved to Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, where they were being interrogated as possible spies…
…”They do become bargaining chips,” said Andrei Lankov, a professor of North Korean studies at Kookmin University in Seoul. The two journalists interviewed Lankov shortly before they traveled to the North Korean border.
“North Korea will send them home, but it will not happen quickly,” Lankov said. “The North Koreans want to show the world that illegally crossing their border will not be tolerated and they want to squeeze political and financial concessions from the United States.”
But don’t worry. Al Gore and Hillary Clinton are on the case.
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Trackbacks
- Two seized journalists now become North Korean “bargaining chips” | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
- Obama showing his weakness on North Korea fire the missile issue « Goodtimepolitics
- Update: LAURA LING AND EUNA LEE TO BE INDICTED « Dianej’s Weblog
- Lisa Ling’s sister, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, HELD in North Korea « Dianej’s Weblog
- Michelle Malkin » Report: North Korea sentences American journos to 12 years in a labor camp
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Categories: Al Gore, Hillary Clinton
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I wonder if we said to North Korea, ” You’re right, they messed up big time. We have no sympathy for them. They knew what they were doing.” Bargaining chip anymore, folks?
Not to worry, bho will send $6 billion in pizza ovens to make things ok for their release from the little slug. I do hope those journalists will be released unharmed. I can not for the life of me understand why anyone would be over in that country.
L
I just can’t seem to get all that worked up over this. May have something to do with the connection to Al Gore.
On the other hand if those reporters had just paid attention to their Jimi Hendrix at school none of this would have happened.
Perhaps a lesson for the US to learn in how to deal with illegal border crossings?
Perhaps they were engaging in (heaven forbid!) actual journalism.
They were going to do work that N Koreans won’t do…
North Korean racists! …incarcerating immigrants like that.
Ha!
If they drop anchor babies, I wonder if they get automatic NK citezenship.
s/b citizenship Missed that preview button again.
Regardless of who they work for, they are still Americans being detained by a hostile communist nation run by a mentally unstable dictator.
We need to get them back.
Maybe we could hire the North Koreans to enforce our southern border and pay them in US dollars. It would save them the trouble of counterfeiting them.
To be honest, I’m not too sympathetic for these two idiots. They were warned about going there by S. Koreans, but they went anyway. I guess they thought they were invincible.
You know what N. Korea uses as “handcuffs”? They pierce the skin between one’s thumb and forefinger and draw a cable through it.
Ah, one can dream, can’t one……?
Al Gore has a TV network? PJTV has some serious competition (not!).
Huff and puff from the website.
Algore’s more concerned with trying to refute stories about his energy consumption during Erf Hour than he is with his own employees.
Well englishqueen01 as we saw in the Lebanon, South America and Malaysia there is not much we really can do. We can send emissaries to talk to the lad but he is likely to kidnap them also. We could nuke the place but China would attack the South, Japan and Taiwan-perhaps us.
Americans going in harm’s way have to take care of themselves-those two reporters took a terrible chance and lost. Sad but not worth American blood. I do understand the pain–we lost a niece in Mexico several years ago never to see her to date-avoiding these psychopaths is all you can really do. The world is getting more dangerous–Leon Klinghoffer got killed on a cruise ship of all places-we are high profile targets. Yes they are still Americans – be careful.
*I do hope they are released unharmed, and soon, since they are fellow citizens.
*We must remember that North Korea is old school communist and simply a tool of the Communist Chinese, who are out to destroy us; I predict they will seize Taiwan during P-BO’s time in office; They have a willing ally/dupe in Hillary and will take advantage of this golden opportunity.
*If Dictator Mentally Ill has his way with these two, and they hatch a kid, does that mean he will be emigrating to the USA under P-BO’s new amnesty plan, or will he have to shack up with the released Gitmo prisoners and get by on food stamps?
Now if only Al Gore had walked across the river with them.
Not to worry. This will give them a splendid opportunity to do in-depth research on the worker’s paradise’s enlightened treatment of political prisoners and lawbreakers. I’m sure they’ll return in 30-40 years with glowing reports of the beautiful accomodations and exotic cuisine, not to mention the recreational faciltities.
Oh good hostages.
Obama should have President Carter provide him with counsel on this issue, since he did so well in hostage negotiations when he was President.
Hey Joe, here’s your test. Enjoy.
These fools were walking across a river to sneak into North Korea? Keeping them there may well increase the IQ of both nations.
Jammie, I’ll always think of it as ‘Erf Hour’- forever!
As far as these two idiots that work for Gore, what part about sovereign borders did they not understand? What part about the nutcase running the asylum there didn’t they understand? I can see extraordinary measures being taken to get back soldiers acting under orders and kidnapped private citizens. But, to knowingly break the laws of North Korea and expect everyone to jump to their defense? No!
Or you can go with Option 2
During the Panama invasion an American unit had the mission of capturing a Panamanian facility. As the Americans approached, the PDF soldiers captured two American women and told the Americans to leave or they would harm the hostages.
The Captain commanding the U.S. unit replied, “Release the hostages and surrender and we won’t kill you all.”
A major caveat before the meat of my comment: the NorKs cannot be trusted, and the facts must be established.
Given that, should this story be true as described, I have little sympathy. They violated the laws of a sovereign nation that takes its security VERY seriously.
I do not like the NorK regime and I think the NorK regime is an unstable, inhumane wreck that the world would be better off without. However, that does not justify the alleged actions of these reporters.
Sometime Americans break laws in foreign countries. Those laws should be respected. When those laws or the associated punishments are deemed inhumane the US should act to see its citizens are treated with respect.
However, I do not see how these journalists should be exempt from punishment.
I would not wish them 1 day in a NorK jail – but sovereign nations have a right to control their borders (what a concept), and the fruitcake regime of North Korea is no exception.
My prayers are with these journalists, first to survive the North Koreans, and second to survive the actions of our State Department, and third, that we can get them back without some insane measure of groveling.
God Bless. Next time you see a border, respect it.
Good thing it’s not your butt they’re holding over there, isn’t it?
What were they thinking, that they were Mexican and it was the Rio Grande?
1/ Why the hell would you WANT to go to North Korea???
2/ These 2 are now throughly tortured and raped into saying whatever they are told too. So ignore thier “confessions”
3/ Welcome to the real world.
4/ I hope we get them back before they are too destroyed as human beings.
I think we should trade the two women for algore. It is a win win situation. We get the women back and algore can help North Korea stay in the stone age for a few more decades.
It wouldn’t be, because I’m not stupid enough to try to enter N. Korea illegally. These fools are responsible for their own fates, and they deserve anything that happens to them.
Wait. I get it.
They are Gorites so we are supposed to be a afraid for their safety after they BROKE THE LAW in one of the AXIS OF EVIL states?
If it was someone like Malkin or Beck, do you really think the media would be so concerned? Of course, Malkin and Beck wouldn’t be so stupid as to be in Kim Jong Il’s territory now, would they?
Boo-freaking hoo. Next time, don’t break the freaking laws.
Yeah, wouldn’t that be something if it were only true.
And these two idiots crossed into North Korea illegally? Talk about a Jacuzzi of Stupid. While I hope no harm will come to them, I also hope they’re scared $#%#@less.
Hey I wonder if Mr. Gore-bal Warming knew they were going to do it? I bet he did.
Your compassion and patriotism astound me!
“
North KoreaAmerica will send them home, but it will not happen quickly,”Lankov saidthe American rep. said. “TheNorth KoreansAmericans want to show the world that illegally crossing their border will not be tolerated andthey want to squeeze political and financial concessionsAmerican boarders as well as all others in the world should be respected.I can dream can’t I?
This is a golden opportunity. I encourage all MM readers to write Al Gore with a personnal request that he take the lead in negotiating for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee.
His ego might even compel a visit to the NK.
Only good things could happen.
So, your for open boarders or is it pick and choose which boarders to respect and which not to.
rike101, hey, lol, I just posted and starting reading more posts and saw yours..jinx no jinx…can’t we still say that? Anyway, great minds don’t apply here, I’m older ‘n slower, get a good thought every once in a while.
Good post bud.
Doesn’t matter what we are for. Dems in office with veto proof majorities in both houses (as if “O” were going to veto an open border bill – ha).
But the realities of this kidnapping – perpitrated by a communist dictator (original axis of evil allumni no less), the victims are San Francisco natives (can’t you just see the ambush interviews of Nancy Pelosi, Fiona Ma, Gavin Neusome? Where they are forced to use “othering” language or look like the total anti American scumbags sellouts (anti liberal Americans at that!)
Plus the obvious ties with Al Gore.
This could be a Godsend. There are so many opportunities for full facial pratfalls by the worst of America’s politicians, the GOP should have been buying plane tickets to Vladivostok for Current TV reporters years ago.
Oh and I forgot the best part.
Those Bitches onThe girls on The View are going to give it Lindberg Baby type publicity, whatever happens.I know this is becoming an old song, but “what if GWB were President”?
We have two US citizens, card-carrying members of the liberal media elite captured by a member of the axis-of-evil.
I just took a quick look at CNN and ABC News web sites…. not a peep about their sisters-in-arms imprisoned for “merely doing their job”.
But again, what if GWB were still President?
Has anyone here ever actually watched Current TV? It just showed up on my dish one day on channel 358. If you want uber leftist trash give it a watch. I blocked it.
Only an insane leftist cretin could believe that he/she could illegally enter North Korea and not get caught, or if caught, talk their way out.
Nobody can milk a situation like this better than the North Koreans. It will be fun to watch and see what Barry O’Bama gives them to get these yahoos back.
- leepro
That would be difficult, since I wouldn’t willingly enter North Korea under ANY circumstances. . .legal or otherwise.
– leepro
Yes yes, and I’m sure you’re positively pouring your time and money into getting these folks freed.
What kidnapping? What did I miss, they illegally crossed NK’s boarder…communist or other wise does not matter.
Your phony compassion and faux outage thrill me!
I wonder if they were open border types?
Shh! We are going to have John McCain and Nancy Pelosi sneak across the border and rescue them–keep it quiet-only tell your closest friends and neighbors. We were going to send Senator Kennedy but we could not get him sober soon enough.
Alright. Lets work on the language then.
Not kidnapping, but martyrs for press freedom.
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Maybe we can send Algore across the same river to check on them. Heck, maybe we can get Hillary to go too! Just tell her she needs to “press the reset button” in North Korea.
Gee…does anyone think that the precedent set by the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979-81 might have something to do with kim jong jill’s behavior with the two journalists?
It has been speculated that North Korea is detaining these two women in order to get something out of the West. However, even the South Koreans have stopped caring about North Korea. It’s hard to make a media circus out of a Stalinist dictatorship that starves its own people and kidnaps foreign nationals. When I lived in South Korea, only Christians seemed concerned about their cousins up North. Not many people in North America care, either.
See One Free Korea for more insight on the two Koreas.
Sorry leepro, the stupidity of two supposed professional journalists is not worth the blood and treasure of those who know how to respect the laws of other nations- even unstable dictatorships. If they had been kidnapped while operating legally I could muster some outrage but not in this case. I also do not have compassion for journalists who think they are above the law. Welcome to the real world.
LOL! That’s the best idea I’ve heard in weeks!
Sorry but these two will get very little sympathy from me either, no matter how noble they believed their cause to be. There are far too many North Koreans living in communities in China who have been allowed to quietly integrate into smaller sections of society while being conveniently “not noticed” by the same government that checks on legal visitor’s passports in their hotel rooms at midnight. If China is willing to bend that much than that right there should give an indication of the level of suffering for these people.
There were and are many North Korean people to interview in China. These reporters wantonly broke the laws of a sovereign nation and now are paying the price for doing so. If there had been no other way to get the story, perhaps it could have been justified but with all of the people available to give their personal accounts already in China, there was no need to put themselves in harm’s way lest it be for the publicity and fame and that is not what reporting (or any profession) should be about. They rolled the dice, they took their chances and they lost.
I have lived in different countries and unlike the USA, most of them are not very hospitable when you violate their laws or make unjust demands on their people or governments.
Unfortunately, with Hillary!s luck, the “reset” button translation to Korean would probably say “launch”.
I agree with the people saying that these people are idiots for illegally sneaking into and breaking the laws of North Korea.
I’ve been saying the same thing about illegal missionaries in China forever. I believe that China should have religious freedom, but it doesn’t, and these missionaries are idiots and criminals. First they smuggle illegal Christian books & videos into China (like other criminals smuggle drugs) and the PRC sends them back to the US and bars them from reentering the country. Then they return and illegally smuggle THEMSELVES back into China and engage in outlawed proselytization. When the Chinese police arrest and finally imprison them, their fellow American Evangelicals raise a huge ruckus, condemn the Chinese government for “oppression”, and generally whine and whinge.
Hellooo? They repeatedly committed religious crimes in a COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP, then illegally crossed the border and engaged in more “evangelizing” after already having been kicked out and told in no uncertain terms to stay out. What did they THINK was going to happen?
No sympathy for any of them, be they Gore’s journalists or Baptist missionaries.