Talk Us Down
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

4 posters

Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by HotParadox Mon Jun 08, 2009 8:36 am

Apparently this is their retaliation to recent "hard-line" threats by the U.S., including possible sanctions and putting North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

There is a video within the link.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090608/ap_on_re_as/as_nkorea_journalists_held


N. Korea sentences US reporters to 12 years labor
By VIJAY JOSHI, Associated Press Writer Vijay Joshi, Associated Press Writer 46 mins ago

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea convicted two American journalists and sentenced them Monday to 12 years of hard labor, intensifying the reclusive nation's confrontation with the United States.

Washington said it would "engage in all possible channels" to win the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former Vice President Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV media venture.

There are fears Pyongyang is using the women as bargaining chips as the U.N. debates a new resolution to punish the country for its defiant May 25 atomic test and as North Korea seeks to draw Washington into direct negotiations.

The journalists were found guilty of committing a "grave crime" against North Korea and of illegally entering the country, state-run media said.

The Central Court in Pyongyang sentenced each to 12 years of "reform through labor" in a North Korean prison after a five-day trial, the Korean Central News Agency said in a terse, two-line report that provided no further details. A Korean-language version said they were convicted of "hostility toward the Korean people."

The ruling, nearly three months after their arrest, comes amid soaring tensions fueled by North Korea's nuclear test last month and signs it is preparing for a long-range missile test. On Monday, North Korea warned fishing boats to stay away from the east coast, Japan's coast guard said, raising concerns more missile tests are being planned.

Over the weekend, President Barack Obama used strong language on North Korea's nuclear stance and said his administration did not intend "to continue a policy of rewarding provocation."

Verdicts issued by North Korea's highest court are final and cannot be appealed, said Choi Eun-suk, a North Korean law expert at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at South Korea's Kyungnam University. He said North Korea's penal code calls for transferring them to prison within 10 days.

The United States, which does not have diplomatic ties with Pyongyang, was "deeply concerned" about the reported verdict, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in Washington. He said officials would "engage in all possible channels" to win the reporters' release

The families of Lee, 36, and Ling, 32 — sister of National Geographic "Explorer" TV journalist Lisa Ling, who pressed publicly for their release last week — had no immediate comment, spokeswoman Alanna Zahn said from New York. Gore also had no comment, spokeswoman Kalee Kreider said.

Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Seoul's Dongguk University, said the 12-year sentence — the maximum allowed under North Korean law — may have been a reaction to recent "hard-line" threats by the U.S., including possible sanctions and putting North Korea back on a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

But he predicted the journalists' eventual release following diplomatic negotiations.

"The sentence doesn't mean much because the issue will be resolved diplomatically in the end," Kim said.

North Korean guards arrested Ling and Lee near the China-North Korean border on March 17. The two were reporting about the trafficking of North Korean women at the time of their arrest, and it's unclear if they strayed into the North or were grabbed by aggressive border guards who crossed into China. A cameraman and their local guide escaped.

Just weeks later, North Korea launched a multistage rocket over Japan in defiance of international calls for restraint. The U.S. and others called the launch a cover for a long-range missile test, and the U.N. Security Council condemned the move.

The U.N. censure enraged Pyongyang. North Korea abandoned nuclear disarmament talks, threatened to restart its atomic program and vowed to conduct nuclear and long-range missile tests if the Security Council failed to apologize.

The North followed through with its threat and staged its second-ever underground nuclear test. U.S. officials say the North appears to be preparing another long-range missile test at a west coast launch pad.

Some analysts called the arrest of the Americans a timely "bonanza" for Pyongyang as the impoverished regime prepares to negotiate for aid and other concessions to resolve the tense standoff over its nuclear defiance.

"North Korea refused to release them ahead of a court ruling because such a move could be seen as capitulating to the United States," said Hajime Izumi, professor of international relations and an expert on North Korea at the University of Shizuoka in Japan.

But now, "North Korea may release them on humanitarian grounds and demand the U.S. provide humanitarian aid in return," he said. "North Korea will certainly use the reporters as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the United States."

Their release could come through a post-negotiation political pardon, said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at Seoul's University of North Korean Studies.

Lisa Ling, who in a blog entry described "the feeling of utter isolation" she experienced during a 2005 trip to North Korea, had pleaded for leniency. She said neither journalist intended to cross into North Korea and her younger sister suffered from an ulcer requiring medical treatment, while Lee was the mother of a 4-year-old, Hannah.

The sentence is "a terrible shock for all those who have repeatedly insisted on their innocence," Reporters Without Borders said in a statement, noting that North Korea is ranked as Asia's worst country for press freedom.

It comes a month after Iran released Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi, who had been sentenced to eight years in prison for on a charge of spying for the United States. An appeals court reduced that to a two-year suspended sentence and she was freed May 11.

Another American who stood trial in North Korea in 1996 was treated more leniently. Evan C. Hunziker, apparently acting on a drunken dare, swam across the Yalu River dividing North Korea from China.

He was accused of spying and detained for three months before being freed after New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, then a congressman, traveled to Pyongyang to negotiate for his release.

The North Koreans wanted Hunziker to pay a $100,000 criminal fine but eventually agreed on a $5,000 payment to settle a bill for a hotel where he was detained.

___

Associated Press writers Jae-soon Chang and William Foreman in Seoul, and Shino Yuasa in Tokyo contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS analyst Choi's affiliation)
HotParadox
HotParadox

Female
Number of posts : 4051
Location : Boston
Registration date : 2009-01-13

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by Old Timer Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:07 am

While I do think that it is all a political play, the reporters did indeed cross the border illeglly and broke the law. For this there is no excuse. If you are going to play the game you have to be able to pay the penalty if you lose. And they did lose, they got caught. I cannot excuse them any more athan I can excuse those that cross our border illerally. Breaking the law is just that, breaking the law. and it makes you a criminal. I have no doubt that they will be traded as barter for consessions, that is the way the game is also played.

Old Timer

Male
Number of posts : 4718
Registration date : 2009-01-13

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by PaulM Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:35 am

Old Timer wrote:While I do think that it is all a political play, the reporters did indeed cross the border illeglly and broke the law. For this there is no excuse. If you are going to play the game you have to be able to pay the penalty if you lose. And they did lose, they got caught. I cannot excuse them any more athan I can excuse those that cross our border illerally. Breaking the law is just that, breaking the law. and it makes you a criminal. I have no doubt that they will be traded as barter for consessions, that is the way the game is also played.

And that the "humanitarian aid" will be used to fund their nuclear program.
PaulM
PaulM

Male
Aquarius Dragon
Number of posts : 577
Age : 72
Location : Kentucky
Humor : Yes
Registration date : 2009-01-14

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by Big Slick Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:44 am

I heard this morning that Al Gore is going over there to negotiate their release.
Big Slick
Big Slick

Male
Number of posts : 403
Location : Dallas
Job/hobbies : Poker
Registration date : 2009-01-13

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by Old Timer Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:47 am

Big Slick wrote:I heard this morning that Al Gore is going over there to negotiate their release.

How bout we just trade Al Gore for them. With no returns allowed Very Happy

Old Timer

Male
Number of posts : 4718
Registration date : 2009-01-13

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by PaulM Tue Jun 09, 2009 1:44 am

Big Slick wrote:I heard this morning that Al Gore is going over there to negotiate their release.

Extortion... the 3rd oldest profession. I wonder how much this is going to cost the taxpayers (you can bet Gore won't pay anything out of his pocket).

Didn't we fight a war against the Barbary Pirates once already?
PaulM
PaulM

Male
Aquarius Dragon
Number of posts : 577
Age : 72
Location : Kentucky
Humor : Yes
Registration date : 2009-01-14

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by HotParadox Tue Jun 09, 2009 7:51 am

PaulM wrote:
Big Slick wrote:I heard this morning that Al Gore is going over there to negotiate their release.

Extortion... the 3rd oldest profession. I wonder how much this is going to cost the taxpayers (you can bet Gore won't pay anything out of his pocket).

Didn't we fight a war against the Barbary Pirates once already?
i know what the first is. what's the second? bounce bounce bounce
HotParadox
HotParadox

Female
Number of posts : 4051
Location : Boston
Registration date : 2009-01-13

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by Old Timer Tue Jun 09, 2009 9:39 am

HotParadox wrote:
PaulM wrote:
Big Slick wrote:I heard this morning that Al Gore is going over there to negotiate their release.

Extortion... the 3rd oldest profession. I wonder how much this is going to cost the taxpayers (you can bet Gore won't pay anything out of his pocket).

Didn't we fight a war against the Barbary Pirates once already?
i know what the first is. what's the second? bounce bounce bounce
Politics, that way you get screwed no matter which way you go. 1, Very Happy 2, or 3

Old Timer

Male
Number of posts : 4718
Registration date : 2009-01-13

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by PaulM Tue Jun 09, 2009 3:06 pm

Old Timer wrote:
HotParadox wrote:
PaulM wrote:
Big Slick wrote:I heard this morning that Al Gore is going over there to negotiate their release.

Extortion... the 3rd oldest profession. I wonder how much this is going to cost the taxpayers (you can bet Gore won't pay anything out of his pocket).

Didn't we fight a war against the Barbary Pirates once already?
i know what the first is. what's the second? bounce bounce bounce
Politics, that way you get screwed no matter which way you go. 1, Very Happy 2, or 3

... or the legal profession. The end result is the same, you end up getting screwed.
PaulM
PaulM

Male
Aquarius Dragon
Number of posts : 577
Age : 72
Location : Kentucky
Humor : Yes
Registration date : 2009-01-14

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by HotParadox Tue Jun 09, 2009 4:42 pm

PaulM wrote:
Old Timer wrote:
HotParadox wrote:
PaulM wrote:
Big Slick wrote:I heard this morning that Al Gore is going over there to negotiate their release.

Extortion... the 3rd oldest profession. I wonder how much this is going to cost the taxpayers (you can bet Gore won't pay anything out of his pocket).

Didn't we fight a war against the Barbary Pirates once already?
i know what the first is. what's the second? bounce bounce bounce
Politics, that way you get screwed no matter which way you go. 1, Very Happy 2, or 3

... or the legal profession. The end result is the same, you end up getting screwed.
yes, the legal profession-that hilarious. Very Happy

most high ranking politicians have law degrees so good on you, too, ot. flower
HotParadox
HotParadox

Female
Number of posts : 4051
Location : Boston
Registration date : 2009-01-13

Back to top Go down

North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor Empty Re: North Korea Sentences US Reporters to 12 Years Hard Labor

Post by Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum