Laura Ling and Euna Lee Broke North Korean Law
Lisa Ling, sister of Laura Ling, confirmed today the Laura and Euna Lee did in fact break North Korean law, and were rightfully convicted and imprisoned in North Korea. Lisa said on CNN it was professional duty to research a story on human trafficking that led Current TV journalist Laura and Euna into North Korea on March 17.
According to Lisa, Laura Ling (32), admitted to family members that she "very briefly" trespassed into enemy territory with colleague Euna Lee, 36. This led North Korea to detain the two journalists and sentence them to 12 years hard labor, which resulted in an international incident that this week saw former President Bill Clinton meet with North Korea’s President Kim Jong Il to arrange the release of the women, who were returned to American soil Wednesday.
"She did say that they touched North Korean territory very, very briefly," Lisa Ling, 35, told CNN on Thursday. "She said that it was maybe 30 seconds, and everything just got sort of chaotic." Adding that Laura has details she will provide, Lisa noted, "It’s a very powerful story and she does want to share it."
In a phone conversation with Meredith Vieira that was aired live on Friday’s Today" show, Lisa (who, like Vieira, is a former cohost on The View), said it may take Laura some time to tell her tale, given that during her imprisonment she spent weeks not uttering a word.
"Even getting sentences out is challenging, because she’s not used to talking as much,” Lisa said of Laura’s current condition. "So we’re just taking things very, very easy with her."
She did say that her sister, who is at home with her family, is enjoying have fresh food again after subsisting on a less-than-adequate diet while under North Korean detention: primarily rice mixed with rocks, small vegetables and fragments of fried fish, "which she developed a reaction to," Lisa told CNN.
"Bathing was a little bit difficult because they didn’t have hot water," she also said. "So she would fill up buckets and she would say, ’Okay, on Saturday I’m going to wash my hair.’ "
As for those who stood watch over her sister, Lisa said, "I think she won a lot of her captors over. She had some really lovely things to say about the people who were watching her. She had two guards in her room at all times. And even though they couldn’t speak together, they developed a sort of strange kinship."
Perhaps the most moving sight as the two women left the plane that brought them to the Bob Hope International Airport in Burbank, California, on Wednesday was Euna Lee’s embracing her young child Hana. Now that the mother is home, said Lisa Ling, "I hear that Euna’s 4-year old daughter does not want her to leave her sight. She keeps following her from room to room."
Someone needs to keep an eye on Euna since she seems prone to make stupid decisions.
The North Korean border, from what I understand, is made up of a river, so stepping onto North Korean territory would require a boat, and once arriving a person would stay only 30 seconds, especially if they were following a story. It’s blatantly obvious Laura and Euna are liars. They should have served out their sentence, and kept their dignity, but instead they have returned to sell their story.
Thank to these two stupid criminals one of our most admired Presidents sat and showed his respect to Kim Jong Il, and even did a photo shoot with him, all at a time when Kim Jong Il has restarted his country’s nulcear program using our money meant to help his people. Nice job Laura and Euna, you’ve made the United States look like even bigger fools in the eyes of the world. Laura and Euna are both a disgrace. These two criminals deserve no more sympathy than any other criminal. These two are not the victims, the American people are. The pictures below show our now disgraced ex President Bill Clinton with Kim Jong Il.
I don’t blame Bill Clinton for wanting to help, when it comes to women, he’s always thinking with his little Bill.
The Lisa Ling CNN interview is below.
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7 Responses to “Laura Ling and Euna Lee Broke North Korean Law”
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Come on guys… HG is right. Even if the government is corrupt and even if they were doing it for the right reasons, they were apprehended in a foreign country and needed to face the consequences of their actions. Considering the fact that other journalists have not been so fortunate as them clearly shows a bias towards them that should not have happened. In addition, it is obvious that North Korea won a political victory by having an ex President come there to petition for their release with the sanction of our Government. For the 90 lb weakling, they love seeing the 200 lb stud groveling in apology. HG was right. We lost FACE.
If they crossed the border to do something immoral and unethical and for their own personal gains, like selling drugs or smuggling humans, then they should be penalized for it. But if they do it for the sake of humanity and to expose wrongness in the world, don’t you think your harsh comments are a bit too much? Have some compassion man. They may be stupid but they don’t deserve to be sent to 12 years of hard labor for crossing some borders. The North Korean government may think they should but you shouldn’t man. Perhaps you came from North Korea yourself and currently are supporting the communists?
Well I do agree with you. We should not push our values on North Korea. We should let things like its rampant corruption run freely. Famine, starvation in the name of military might, whats not to like? The job of a journalist is to expose when countries and their leaders take advantage of the populace. There is no media in North Korea to report what they’ve done to the common people. Think about the pressure North Korea would face if the world really knew what kind of horrors go on within its borders. We have estimates, (1-2 million dead in three alone (Arduous March) but that could be high or low.
I understand your a conservative and national sovereignty is a major sticking point for you. But when has the world ever respected the rights of a country that represses and murders its people? NK has no public news providers. Who else besides outsiders are going to tell the truth? Countries like China and areas like the Middle East are regularly pressured into letting up on human rights violations. This is done in part because of the press within those areas exposing the depths to which those countries have sunk. Ignore that you think I’m a fool. Answer me this. Do you really think that no one should try to expose the kind of horrors that the average NK faces? We should essentially let it happen? Laws in a country like NK should never be applied when they continue to perpetuate wholesale murder and repression.
Sure these reporters were trying to make money (by doing their jobs), but their jobs are important enough. Outsiders have to expose violent and repressive regimes in order for something to get done. There is absolutely no freedom of the press in NK. Maybe people of true courage will someday be able to expose NK for what it truly is.
That’s cold. So they should be sent to a hard labor camp for 12 years for trying to do their jobs as journalists? You really really honestly believe that? Lets be honest, they were idiots for doing something so brazenly obvious. No one denies that. But to say that their children should grow up without their mother because one of the most repressive murderous regimes in the world wants a bargaining chip is just plain cruel. If you do still believe that, then you must lead an angry bitter life. Best of luck with that.
jmenkel,
Laura and Euna entered North Korea knowing exactly what kind of government and laws they have, so both took the risk knowing the consequences. We can’t apply our values to North Korea. When Laura and Euna got caught, they must face the consequences, which the North Korean’s decided was 12 years hard labor. That’s their law. Laura and Euna, being from America where taking responsibility for one’s own actions means nothing because morality is negotiable, then allowed the United States to look like complete fools to get these two criminals released. I have no sympathy for criminals, especially when they expect to profit from their crime by writing a book, and doing interviews claiming they were victims, while also admitting they did the crime … intentionally and knowing the consequences.
Laura and Euna deserved what they got, and are lucky we have people willing to sacrifice the reputation of the United States to free them. In my opinion, this would only have been worth it if these two were innocent, but they weren’t. Laura and Euna should disappear to save America further embarrassment, but selfish people never disappear.
It’s probably a mistake for me to defend my position in condemning these two idiot criminals that made America all look like fools, especially when fools leave comments that I’m being too harsh with my criticism. I should just let you take your own bait and choke on it.
The border is a river, much of which was frozen when they were apprehended. And there are bridges across that river, some of which are not clearly delineated with a border crossing point.
I appreciate you are excited to fling poo at other people on the internet, but at least possess full knowledge of circumstance and conditions before doing so.
Elsa,
The girls admitted they knew they were crossing into North Korea, and they said they crossed intentionally to follow up a story. Is that “full knowledge” enough for you?