North Korea Tries US Journalists

[White Haven]

North Korea tries US journalists

Two US journalists are reported to have gone on trial in North Korea, on charges of committing "hostile acts".

Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, were arrested on 17 March after allegedly crossing into North Korea from China.

The US has dismissed the charges as "baseless" and said the two women should be released immediately.

The trial comes amid growing tensions in the region following North Korea's recent nuclear and missile tests.

In a new sign of friction, a North Korean patrol boat is reported to have briefly entered South Korean waters.

The South's Yonhap news agency said the vessel crossed the disputed maritime border on Thursday, but retreated when issued with a verbal warning.

Meanwhile US Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg has said China's relationship with North Korea seems to have cooled recently, since Pyongyang's latest nuclear test.

During a meeting with the South Korean president in Seoul, Mr Steinberg said Pyongyang was failing to read changes in Beijing's position.

"It would be a mistake for the North to believe that it can obtain what it wants through negotiations after staging provocative acts," he said.

Appeal for clemency

Euna Lee and Laura Ling were arrested by North Korean guards while working on the China-North Korea border on a story about refugees for California-based internet broadcaster Current TV.

Some reports have suggested that the women were arrested while on Chinese soil, but Pyongyang's state media says they had illegally entered North Korea.

North Korea said the trial would begin at 0600 GMT and the Russian news agency Itar-Tass reports that the hearing has now begun, although there has been no confirmation from Pyongyang.

If the women are found guilty, analysts say they face at least five years detention with hard labour in a North Korean prison camp.

The women's families have appealed for clemency and asked North Korea and the United States not to link the case to the current diplomatic standoff between them.

But some analysts have suggested that a guilty verdict is almost certain.

Amnesty International has said it is highly unlikely the two women will face a fair trial because of the judicial system's lack of independence or transparency.

Once again, North Korea specializes in creating obnoxious foreign policy situations for the purpose of...what, ego-stroking?

[KrauserKrauser]

5 years in a North Korean prison camp?

It would be more merciful to simply shoot them in the head.

[lazerus]

5 years in a North Korean prison camp?

It would be more merciful to simply shoot them in the head.

Do you have anything to contribute other than "Rar! Tough Guy?"

North Korea seems to be, once again, generating international incidents in much the same way as a screaming child trying to get attention. But given how irrational they've been in the past, as well as unresponsive to international pressure, what actual hope is there that these two women will be released?

[FSTargetDrone]

We can only hope this turns out like the incident in Iran concerning Roxana Saberi. A bit of noise, a trial and then she was kicked out of the country.

I fear that the Iranians are somewhat more reasonable than the North Koreans, however (relatively speaking). The political situation is also a bit different, of course.

[Nephtys]

5 years in a North Korean prison camp?

It would be more merciful to simply shoot them in the head.

So... they would be better dead than dangled in a fancy show trial to try and get some aid concessions from the US?

That's really what this comes down to, more lunacy from the greatest clown country on earth. After more sabre rattling with missile tests, nuke tests, withdrawing from the Korean War Cease-Fire, etc... they're pretty much going all out to try and get attention. It makes me just boggle at the completely retarded way a lot of South Korean friends/contacts I know view how this is somehow the US's fault.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

S. Korea has a pretty strong strain of nationalism and that is then linked to their anti US sentiment.

Now with regards to N.Korea, it must be said that their intentions are not publicly disclosed and given their siege mentality, i would not put it past them to actually carry out the sentence. This is a country that has kidnapped japanese women, and world opinion be damned. They will do it to show that they can. They will use them for bargain chips, after making an example of them.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

I take exception to the idea that five years in a prison camp is something that it's better to die than suffer. As long as you're actually let out--a certain class of prisoners in Korea aren't, I grant, and for them death would be better--it is worth surviving five years to get another twenty or thirty. Horrific, certainly, but survival in even camps of a harsh regime is quite possible.

[KrauserKrauser]

Well, people have survived gaping head wounds in the past. I put your chances of survival in a North Korean prison camp around the same likelihood.

This isn't exactly Swedish prisons we are talking about, if the common people are resorting to eating household pets and grass for survival why would you think the prisons are much better?

[Thanas]

So....you'd prefer getting shot in the head which carries a 100% chance of death over something that has a ways lower chance of death? Heck, even if they are sentenced to prison and 75% of all prisoners die, that is still a 25% chance of survival.

Oh, and as these are bargaining chips, they will be fed. Count on it.

[K. A. Pital]

This isn't exactly Swedish prisons we are talking about, if the common people are resorting to eating household pets and grass for survival why would you think the prisons are much better?

They aren't, but DPRK isn't exactly in a state of severe hunger right now as well, it's not the 1990s. So survival is possible. What people often forget is that the situation changes rapidly - and it's an entire decade past their hunger years. In the 1990s, DPRK was in extreme hunger, but right now, things have (somewhat) changed. Calorie intakes of DRPKians have slowly risen from the abysmal levels they were a decade ago.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

What exactly is the real state of the DPRK now? They refused food aid for months to a year if I recall correctly, and then their agriculture hasn't exactly recovered either.

[Lord of the Abyss]

They've been sentenced, to twelve years in a camp.

[Havok]

12 years for crossing a border? Fuck. I thought the 5 year projection was harsh. That is borderline insane.

[Mr. Coffee]

It's North Korea, homie. They've been barkin' at the fucking moon batshit for a looooong time now. But I'm gonna bet they'll try to use the two journalists in some back channel deal for more foreign aid from us and they'll be back home in the next six months or so.

[cosmicalstorm]

12 years? Poor bastards

Lets hope it's all a diplomatic game.

[Broomstick]

While I don't wish any harm to these young ladies, and would prefer to see them back home, I confess my sympathy is a bit limited. They knew that reporting on North Korea from or near North Korea is risky, that the regime regards journalists as spies, that the North Korean government considers itself to still be in a state of war with the US, and if captured they would be severely punished. They put themselves in harm's way. No doubt they believed it was for a good cause, and in fact I believe that as well, but they really did take on a risk.

That said, I would really like there to be a way to bring them home intact and in as brief a time as possible.

[GrandMasterTerwynn]

12 years? Poor bastards

Lets hope it's all a diplomatic game.

It likely is. A little incentive for the West to concede a little more to get them out. However, rather unfortunately for these two women, the UN has been considering additional sanctions against North Korea which might complicate negotiations just a little.

[Samuel]

Heard something interesting on the radio. Apparently the company they work for is connect to Al Gore and the North Koreans might want to get him to come, apologize and take them with him.

[Cecelia5578]

While I don't wish any harm to these young ladies, and would prefer to see them back home, I confess my sympathy is a bit limited. They knew that reporting on North Korea from or near North Korea is risky, that the regime regards journalists as spies, that the North Korean government considers itself to still be in a state of war with the US, and if captured they would be severely punished. They put themselves in harm's way. No doubt they believed it was for a good cause, and in fact I believe that as well, but they really did take on a risk.

That said, I would really like there to be a way to bring them home intact and in as brief a time as possible.

I certainly sympathize with them-they were doing their job as journalists; they were not mucking about trying to stir up trouble. Though you could argue that that is the inevitable result trying to go to North Korea. Anyways, I read somewhere that they were on the Chinese side of the Tuman-they clearly were not at fault.

[MKSheppard]

12 years for crossing a border?.

Actually, North Korean Troops crossed the North Korean/Chinese Boarder to seize these two journalists, who were filming into North Korea from Chinese territory.

[Qwerty 42]

12 years for crossing a border?.

Actually, North Korean Troops crossed the North Korean/Chinese Boarder to seize these two journalists, who were filming into North Korea from Chinese territory.

That's still a point of some contention, according to both this article and CNN's most recent story on the topic, as nearly as I can see. Though, it wouldn't surprise me.

[Havok]

12 years? Poor bastards

Lets hope it's all a diplomatic game.

It likely is. A little incentive for the West to concede a little more to get them out. However, rather unfortunately for these two women, the UN has been considering additional sanctions against North Korea which might complicate negotiations just a little.

Why? When did we start listening to the UN?

Seriously though, what are the chances of this triggering a serious conflict?

[Nephtys]

Seriously though, what are the chances of this triggering a serious conflict?

Given that nobody cared when NK said 'we're done with the cease fire. War on!', I'd say zero.

[Havok]

Yeah, good point.

Another thing I am wondering... if these two journalists had been two white women and not Asian, how much more this would be blowing up?

[Qwerty 42]

Yeah, good point.

Another thing I am wondering... if these two journalists had been two white women and not Asian, how much more this would be blowing up?

No media source I've seen has mentioned the reporters' race in any significant manner at all: the hysteria is much more "our countrymen!"