North Korea kidnapps two US Journalists
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Two American journalists were missing Friday after they reportedly were detained by North Korea for ignoring warnings to stop shooting footage of the reclusive country.
Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore’s online media outlet Current TV, were seized Tuesday along the Chinese-North Korean border, according to news reports and an activist who had worked with them. Their Chinese guide also was detained although a third journalist with the group, Mitch Koss, apparently eluded capture.
U.S. officials expressed concern to North Korean officials about the reported detentions and said they were working with the Chinese government to ascertain the whereabouts of the Americans.
“When you have two American citizens who are being held against their will, we want to find out all the facts and gain their release,” State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said Thursday in Washington.
U.S. officials also were in contact with Swedish diplomats in North Korea. Sweden’s Ambassador to Pyongyang, Mats Foyer, refused to say in an e-mail whether negotiations for the Americans’ release were under way but acknowledged that Sweden acts as Washington’s representative because the U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea.
Calls to North Korea’s mission to the United Nations in New York went unanswered Thursday.
My guess is that the North Korean border guards figured they could gain ransom money from grabbing them. While this seemed like a crime of opportunity, that could change if the North Korean regime gets wind of it.
So why didn’t the Chinese border guards do anything? My guess is that because of the nature of their work (interviewing North Korean refugees), the journalists were actively avoiding authority. It’s very likely when it happened there was no one around.
I hope they are released soon. Hopefully, this is a test that Pres. Obama and Sec. Clinton. will pass.
Of course it would be nice if they were released soon, but…the girls are the only ones truely at fault. You cant push the limits of countries and then scream that i am an American, release me! I think the Ling sister needs a full body cavity search and a bit of roughing up to show how stupid her actions were. You cant prance around the world with immunity from the Gore Global Warming Network.
Comment by Bigshott, on March 21st, 2009 at 8:55 am
Actually, illegal border crossing is not acceptable to ANY country. Any Western nation would do the exact same thing if a group of people lurked around the border taking pictures and then crossing over illegally. (i.e. they would detain and question the people involved, and eventually send them back).
It is unlikely that the North Koreans border guards would have ventured into China to snatch these people, so most likely the DID cross the border into NK in their quest for a “great story”.
Are North African migrant workers “kidnapped” by the EU when they are detained, questioned and sent back? And Mexican migrant workers in the US? Hardly! North Korea is just doing what any country would have done.
I’d be extremely surprised if these people have been hurt or mistreated in any way – and they’ll get a better “story” than they’d ever have dreamt of…
Comment by Cordelia, on March 22nd, 2009 at 3:13 am
well, in my book, the pressure is actually on KJI.
this isn’t just another korean american missionary.
this is fricking lisa ling’s sister.
what if weeks turn into months and lisa ling starts publicly helping for help using her contacts list?
if i was kji, i wouldn’t dare fuck with a woman (demi-goddess), i mean oprah, who makes more money legitimately than my whole fucking country.
Comment by james, on March 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm