Freed Journalists Were “Violently Dragged” To North Korea
Posted on Sep 02, 2009 @ 09:40AM - 2 comments
Euna Lee and Laura Ling were released in August after being imprisoned in North Korea for months after crossing the border while reporting on the illegal sex trade industry. They recently spoke about the horrific experience, detailing the brutal way their captors came after them and how they were possibly tricked into captivity.
Although they barely spent “more than a minute” on North Korean soil before turning back, they were tracked down by soldiers. “We tried with all our might to cling to bushes, ground, anything that would keep us on Chinese soil, but we were no match for the determined soldiers,” they said in an article posted on Current TV’s web site. “They violently dragged us back across the ice to North Korea and marched us to a nearby army base, where we were detained. They were soon sentenced to twelve years of hard labor for trespassing and “hostile acts” against North Korea before being pardoned after a trip to Pyongyang by former President Bill Clinton (the women worked for Cliton’s vice president Al Gore at Current TV).
"To this day, we still don't know if we were lured into a trap," the two wrote. "In retrospect, the guide behaved oddly, changing our starting point on the river at the last moment and donning a Chinese police overcoat for the crossing, measures we assumed were security precautions."
“We continue to cope with tremendous mental and emotional anguish, but we feel incredibly fortunate to be free and reunited with our families,” the two women said.
VIDEO: Laura Ling & Euna Lee Thank Supporters
Posted on Aug 13, 2009 @ 08:24PM - Add a comment
In a new video, the two reporters held captive by the North Korean government for nearly five months give thanks on their employer, Current TV's, Web site.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee thank supporters who even started a Facebook campaign on their behalf. The women asked for privacy and say that they will tell their story at some point Ling and Lee were granted a pardon by the North Korean government and freed last week after former U.S. President Bill Clinton traveled to the Asian country to negotiate for their release. The North Korean government had convicted the women of entering the country illegally and had sentenced them to 12 years hard labor.
Laura Ling’s sister Lisa is a special correspondent for Oprah Winfrey and RaradOnline.com has learned that Oprah is hoping to land the first interview with the freed journalist.
VIDEO: Freed Journalists Laura Ling & Una Lee Back In U.S.; Ling: “ We Knew The Nightmare Of Our Lives Was Coming To An End”
Posted on Aug 05, 2009 @ 09:59AM - 7 comments
It was an emotional homecoming as TV host Lisa Ling’s sister Laura and fellow journalist Euna Lee arrived back in the United States Wednesday morning after former President Bill Clinton was able to negotiate their release from North Korea.
A plane carrying Ling, Lee and Clinton landed at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California at 5:50 am local time Wednesday.
Ling and Lee departed the plane once it pulled into a hangar. They were greeted by their families and former Vice-President Al Gore. Ling and Lee were both reporters for Gore's Current TV at the time of their arrest for illegally crossing the border into North Korea.
Clinton – who accompanied Ling and Lee on the 12-hour flight -- departed the plane a few minutes later.
Freed U.S. Journalists Laura Ling & Euna Lee To Arrive in Burbank, CA. Wednesday Morning After Bill Clinton Negotiates Release
Posted on Aug 05, 2009 @ 08:53AM - 1 comment
Update: 5:50am PDT - The plane has landed on U.S. soil.
TV host Lisa Ling’s sister Laura and fellow journalist Euna Lee are expected to land at the airport in Burbank, California at 5:30am local time Wednesday.
EXCLUSIVE: Lisa Ling Reveals Tattoo In Honor of Captive Sister
Posted on Jun 08, 2009 @ 06:05PM - Add a comment
Journalist and former The View co-host Lisa Ling is doing more than talking about her sister Laura's confinement in North Korea--she's getting inked up in honor of the horrible struggle.
In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, Lang showed off an artful tattoo of a dove on her ankle, one she said she suffered through by thinking of her imprisoned sibling.
"I'm not going to lie it definitely didn't feel good, but right now my sister is going through a challenging time," Lang told us.
"I just sort of sat there and took the pain and I said to myself, 'I'm going to take this for Laura.' It totally got me through it."
Laura and fellow reporter Euna Lee were just sentenced to twelve years of labor prison in the nation for the "grave crime" of crossing over their border from China.
"My sister was trying to tell a story," Ling said of Laura and Euna's mission, covering female trafficking across borders for Al Gore's Current TV.
"There are two Americans who are being held in North Korea who desperately want to come home to families that miss them."
Ling encouraged all to a sign a petition pleading for their release, which you can find here [http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/free-euna-and-laura]
Lisa Ling's Sister Gets 12-Year Prison Camp Sentence In North Korea
Posted on Jun 08, 2009 @ 07:50AM - Add a comment
The sister of ex-View co-host Lisa Ling was sentenced to a 12 years in a North Korean prison camp on Monday.
North Korean officials said during the conviction of Laura Ling (right in photo) and her colleague, Euna Lee, that the journalists had commited "grave crimes against the country." The 5-day trial was conducted in the country's highest court, which means the women have no recourse to appeal.
