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US Journalists sentenced to 12 years in N. Korea

Discussion in 'General News' started by Patton, Jun 8, 2009.

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  1. Patton

    Patton Guest

    SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea said its top court convicted two U.S. journalists and sentenced them to 12 years in labor prison Monday, intensifying the reclusive nation's confrontation with the United States.

    The North's Central Court tried American TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee during proceedings running from last Thursday to Monday and found them guilty of a "grave crime" against the nation, and of illegally crossing into North Korea, the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

    It said the court "sentenced each of them to 12 years of reform through labor." The KCNA report gave no other details.

    http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/06/200968490421733.html
     
  2. 1prinnydood

    1prinnydood Guest

    Am I correct in thinking that it is illegal for foreigners to enter North Korea without permission? If so then I imagine these people knew the risks they where taking. The sentence is draconian of course, but if that is the law of the land then not much can be done. Sad but true.
     
  3. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    Allegedly they were on the chinese side of the border, not the korean side.
     
  4. 1prinnydood

    1prinnydood Guest

    Considering China's very unusual move of publicly slamming N. Korea over the nuclear test and missile firing, I would think they will be seriously investigating this incident. I would imagine if China say the arrest was on their soil N. Korea will hand the journalists back into Chinese care. The other possibility is to pay the 'hotel bill' this has happened in the past when an American journalist was captured by N. Korea, he was released after 3 months, the bill came to $3500.
     
  5. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    um, what was the charge against the US journalist? illegal entry to the N.Korea or something they done inside? and what are they doing in a that country anyway? tour or journalist stuff?
     
  6. branraf

    branraf Well-Known Member

    They were doing a report on Refugees in i presume China for a californian news agency. From the numerous articles i have read about it they were on Chinese soil however N. Korea said they were on their soil. They were charged with illegal entry into N. Korea. However if China can prove that the Journalists were on their soil then that is an extreme violation by N. Korea because they have taken US Citizens for practically no reason. The Chinese need to tighten up their security on that border especially with the threat of weapons of mass destruction. I think this is just N. Korea trying to get the attention of the US, again. I also think they are provoking the countries of NATO, the countries signed onto the PSI and the UN into war. This is just a way of keeping all eyes on N. Korea. I wouldn't be surprised if the US government launched a rescue operation for the journalists.
     
  7. timmy1991

    timmy1991 Well-Known Member

    And possibly cause another Korean War?
     
  8. damanali

    damanali Well-Known Member

    um, journalism is, for me, a form of espionage... i just hope those journalist are in the chinese border... not N.Korea's border. cause if the chinese will not not support the claim that those 2 are in the chinese border, then that can be classified as espionage to the N.Korea... and they would be luck to be in labor rather than firing squad
     
  9. branraf

    branraf Well-Known Member

    Is it not true that N. Korea are looking for war already? They are threatening to use there nuclear weapons if provoked and they have stated to South Korea that if they [South Korea] stop N. Korean ships then it's a provocation of war. As far as i'm concerned N. Korea are in the wrong here and they think they are currently unstoppable. If they use a single nuclear weapon then there will be no more N. Korea. However i do think that the US could launch a rescue operation to save these journalists, that makes it look like it wasn't the journalists they wanted to rescue. The only way to do this however is to have an insider.
     
  10. ultra

    ultra Guest

    it isn't really drastic as some here have said [draconic]. they've just been turned into slaves for 12 years, that's all. in terms of the years, yes it's draconic but in terms of the punishment, it isn't draconic.
     
  11. Loonylion

    Loonylion Administrator Staff Member

    for north korea, its a fairly lenient punishment. I'm rather surprised they didn't just get executed considering n. korea's current belligerent attitude towards the rest of the world
     
  12. VCTKnight

    VCTKnight Member

    why is North Korea so stuck up? are they asking for the British, Russians, Americans, and South Koreans to team up on them. I beat they could stop them from doing any sort of attack and hand all the land to South Korea, then forth eliminating N. Korea. I think that would be cool.
     
  13. ultra

    ultra Guest

    so was i, i thought they were going to get the worst but they didn't. north koreas probably using these two for leverage or some sort of bargaining. if they just killed them, then it would show to the world that they they're savages or barbarians and going to war and killing them is justifiable.
     
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