Laura Ling, Euna Lee To Be Put On Trial June 4: North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday that two U.S. journalists arrested nearly two months ago near the nation's border with China will stand trial on June 4.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV media venture, were detained March 17 while reporting on North Korean refugees living across the border in China.

The brief dispatch in Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency did not say what charges they face and gave no other details. State media previously said Ling and Lee stand accused of illegal entry and unspecified "hostile" acts _ charges that could carry up to 10 years in prison.

North Korea's detention of the two Americans comes at a time of mounting tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, and there are concerns Pyongyang could use the women as bargaining chips as it seeks to position itself for talks with the Obama administration.

The announcement of the June trial date for Ling and Lee also comes on the heels of the release in Iran this week of an American journalist originally sentenced to eight years for spying. Roxana Saberi's sentence was reduced to a two-year suspended term. She was freed Monday after four months in jail and international calls for the release of all three U.S. journalists.

Pyongyang, which conducted a nuclear test and test-fired a long-range missile in 2006, had agreed as part of a 2007 pact signed with five other nations to begin dismantling its atomic program in exchange for fuel aid and other concessions.

That process came to a halt last year amid a dispute with Washington, and talks in December in Beijing failed to resolve the matter.

North Korea's move to launch a rocket early last month further heightened tensions. Pyongyang claims it put a satellite into orbit, but the U.S. and other nations believe it was a long-range missile test banned under a U.N. resolution adopted after the 2006 atomic test.

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The U.N. Security Council's condemnation of the April 5 launch angered North Korea, which quit the international nuclear talks, expelled inspectors and threatened to conduct nuclear and long-range missile tests.

The regime also said it has began reprocessing spent nuclear fuel roads _ a move aimed at harvesting weapons-grade plutonium used to make atomic bombs.

Washington has expressed its willingness to hold talks with the North in order to get the nuclear negotiations back on track. But the North dismissed talks with the U.S. as useless, accusing President Barack Obama's government of maintaining what it called a "hostile policy" toward the nation.

The U.S. does not have diplomatic ties with the North and has relied on the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang to negotiate on its behalf.

A Swedish envoy met with each journalist on March 30, but the North since has refused access to them, U.S. officials said.

"I'm not aware of any kind of reasons that have been given to us as to why they're denying the consular access, which, of course, is contrary to the Vienna Convention," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Monday.

Under North Korea's criminal code, conviction for illegal entry could mean up to three years in a labor camp. Espionage or "hostility toward North Koreans" _ possible crimes that could be considered "hostile acts" _ could draw five to 10 years in prison, South Korean legal experts say.

Comments

[CarmanK]

Now we know why the girls' court dates have been set for June 4th. It is time for the North Korean's to negotiate again. They set off the nuclear test and expect no ramifications, "if they release the girls".
I would say that the FAT IL has leverage and he will use it, to get by once again.

The girls' lives for a "free pass" testing nuclear bombs.

[DSOTM]

Laura Ling's sister Lisa was in North Korea a few years ago posing to do a story about German doctors performing free cataract surgery, though that did occur, Lisa did not paint a pretty picture of life inside NK and did enter the country under false pretext's.

Laura should have known better to get with 10 miles of the North Korean boarder after her sister had done that story, if anything she will be tried for what her sister did and that could keep her locked up for a very long time.

[LeeCalif]

And after the Iran incident of a US spy ........... not good.

[Tom Kulenski]

This has been covered on The Rachel Maddow Show. on Current, they took off all stories about these two @ thier proflies on the Currnet.com. Finally, you want to know how they got captured, the river recited back enough where there was no border between China and North Korea countries next thing thing N. Korth went and captured them.

[busterbrownthefirst]

How can we protest North Korea violating the Geneva Convention? I mean, hello? Here we are mid-May, and one news item today is that it's the administration's intent to hold some Gitmo detainees indefinitely without trial.

It seems to me that these two women were doing what journalists do best, which is going after the hard story. It's genuinely terrible that they are now functioning as pawns between two nations that probably can't even spell "Geneva," much less find it on a map.

[Spiritof1982]

This is ignorant. If you value the Geneva Conventions enough to criticize US violations thereof, then there is no credible reason that you can not also praise taking N. Korea to task for violations. Jesus' "first stone" parable is impossible in the real world where events like this are concerned. Virtually every nation in the world has violated or is violating some facet of international law. That's a fact. Non-compliance is equally as common as compliance.

The fact that you oppose Gitmo is no excuse for trotting out the sandbox tactic you've put into play here.

[wereeverywhere]

Spirit, your comment is like a breath of fresh air as this 'first stone' logic was used to try to bury criticism of IRI's handling of the Saberi scandal. Don't people get that they're not government officials, or are all these guys former Defense Dept. high officials posting here at HuffPo. ? Why should I shut up as a plebe, prole American because my enemies, i.e. the US government, screwed up to the point of war crimes?

That said, or ranted, I understand the frustration of the almost total silence regarding US violations against foreign journalists. But please people, don't let them cow you into silence.

[Mohanna]

I know I will take a hit for this but-why were these 2 young american women in N. Korea? The U.S. State Department issued a "NO TRAVEL" warning about N. Korea ages ago. U.S. has no diplomatic relations with N. Korea. Any talks between N. Korea and U.S. are handled at the highest level in our government if at all. There was a film/report when this happened and it appeared the 2 young women crossed an antiquated bridge from China into N. Korea (Signs posted all over bridge, NO ENTRY BEYOND THIS POINT< ENTERING NORTH KOREA) and stated the 2 women avoided the N. Korean guards by traveling under and along side of bridge. They had cameras, video recorders, etc. When they were arrested the N. Korean Govt. stated they did not torture like U.S.

[juniperbug]

They were not actually in North Korea. They were on a frozen river which is the border. There was no bridge. It is an unspecified place. That is how how the north koreans cross over into china during winter if they make it pass gaurds or bribe them. It is unclear where they were even captured, on chinese side or north korea's. They could have even been on China's border when the north korean gaurds captured them. It is just a frozen river after all. I mean this is what I have seen through other documentaries but maybe I could be wrong.

[Alex Paris]

They are also Journalists, they were working on a story. Im sure glad that the story that Pyongyang put out from its own news source says they werent tortured, like in the US. How do they torture in the DPRK?

[VictorianNovel]

No matter who the United States leader is, North Korea will always view the States as being "hostile". The North Korean dictatorship is delusional. The country is always on the edge, always prepared for a possible war with the States, and ultra paranoid. It spends millions on building up its nuclear program and huge military while its people are suffering from hunger.

All nations are guilty of past and current acts of evil and injustice, but North Korea's reaction to international condemnation is indicative of the insecurity of it's government. I hope that the journalists are being treated humanely over there. They have not done anything wrong, from what I've read, the location they were in was near the border, but in an area with no clear demarcation, and it's possible their guides took them too close to the North Korean border. Even so, that's not enough to imprison them.

[WarSkeptic]

"were detained March 17 while reporting on North Korean refugees living across the border in China."

Were they arrested in China? By the Koreans?
This story don't add up

[Spiritof1982]

That's the whole point. N. Korea's junta is beyond illegitimate in its tactics and its governance. They respect nothing but themselves and their goals.

[WarSkeptic]

I think the "whole point" is that they did infact enter N Korea illegally, and the article is trying to say otherwise

I hope they go free. But it is illegal to just sneak into most countries around the world. Unfortunately for them especially N. Korea

[RobertHenryEller]

These reporters are just another bargaining chip. While I certainly do not applaud what is happening to them, I do question the wisdom of their mission.

Further, doing a cost benefit analysis, it does not advance the cause of freedom in North Korea to compromise the diplomatic position of the entire United States vis-a-vis North Korea.

If these journalists were on assignment from Mr. Gore's network, surely no one should understand this better than Mr. Gore. I suggest he rethink his company's policy on reporting in such a high-risk place. The consequences for the un-involved is way too great.

[Soori]

I wonder why the state of these two young ladies is not getting the same publicity as that of Roxana Saberi? We hardly see MSM speaking about this as they did with respect to Saberi every 5 minutes and tons of articles that were published about her arrest? Why the difference and un-balanced reporting?

[WarSkeptic]

2 reasons
first there are not huge interest groups who want to go to war with Korea
and second, these women are not as pretty. Saberi was the former miss North Dakota

[EmeraldWorld]

Not as "pretty"? No, I'd say it's because they look too "ethnic" for the MSM to pay them much attention. Saberi could pass for a white woman, thus part of the reason there was a big focus on her.

[Spiritof1982]

Who are these "huge" interest groups you speak of? Certainly not that little PAC that has spawned a new cottage industry in Jewish conspiracy theories?

[Kendall Hawley]

I agree that it is very frustrating they have not seen the same outcry and support that Saberi did. I do wonder though how much of that has to do with efforts going on behind the scenes. Lisa Ling is very well-known and has a degree of celebrity and I would take her silence up until now to mean that it has been smarter for them to act accordingly.

Up until now that is, because the family has decided to break their silence. They will be on the Today Show and Larry King next week. Hopefully this will spark a little more action that could lead to their release.

[equinn7]

This is absurd. They are prosecuting them for zero wrong doing. There should be some sort of global ethical court, and in this court, journalists will not have to be scrutinized for their reporting if it fulfills certain criteria. The criteria would be based on the publics need to know and their right to know, along with keeping utilitarianism in mind.

[wereeverywhere]

Sounds like a good idea to me, eq_7. Add in an addendum court to try the criminal government officials that bring journalists up on charges to begin with, and I'd volunteer to build the jail to house said government officials.

[Bibikimmers]

My prayers go out for these women and their families. This is a sad day, but I hope that hearts will be softened and freedom is near for the both of them. "God Bless".

[DnDCfromChi-town]

I pray everything will work out for them. It was sooo great to see Roxana Saberi's release. I hope Laura and Euna will return home safely

[metalhead556]

It is a shame that we have no moral leg to stand on in this circumstance, we detain people indefinitely, illegally and keep them for years without so much as a trial...say what you will, mock trial or whatever but at least North Korea is doing that for these two women, Bush & co wouldnt even grant that to Gitmo detainees.

I sincerely hope these two women are able to come home in the very near future.

[fodel]

North Korea has got to be one of the worst places on earth. It's sickening to see how those people are all brainwashed and suppressed. To bad we didn't go there instead of to Iran. I hope they have a revolution.

[vslay]

First of all, we didn't go to Iran. Secondly, I wish that we didn't go anywhere.

[Bubbas]

lol. Fodel is brainwashed, suppressed, and misinformed.

[Khirad]

I don't think our military is itching to take on the People's Liberation Army. I'm still waiting to see what happens when Dear Leader dies, if the family dynasty will continue. I'm just hoping for an inglorious implosion for the DPRK (and Ryugyong Hotel).

[hidenout]

Me too. Let 's hope.

[mouselion]

Hey, it was good international press for Iran! NK is always copying their moves, ever notice?