Freed Journalists were Forced into North Korea to be Arrested
Laura Ling and Euna Lee gave their first detailed accounts of their capture and imprisonment by North Korean officials.
In an article posted on Current TV's web site, the two reporters explained that they were only in North Korea - voluntarily - for less than a minute after they had crossed a frozen river at the urging of their guide. They returned to the Chinese side of the river immediately, but North Korean officers grabbed them and dragged them back across the river into North Korea, where they were arrested and detained for months.
"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 violently dragged us back across the ice to North Korea and marched us to a nearby army base, where we were detained."
While reflecting on their capture, the journalists suspected that perhaps their guide may have led them into a trap, as they were uneasy about crossing into North Korea at all. Their guide pointed out a nearby village where there were suspected safe houses for people wishing to escape from North Korea into China. Their guide and a Current TV producer, Mitch Kross, were able to escape capture.
In an effort to protect their sources for their story, they ate their notes and destroyed their tapes while in custody. The reporters also acknowledged that they would not speak publicly of some of the more painful aspects of their captivity, so one is left to assume that they were tortured to some degree while in captivity.
The reporters were freed after a visit to Pyongyang by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and flew home with Clinton upon his departure. Since Clinton's visit, North Korea has made attempts to reach out to South Korea and the United States to improve badly damaged diplomatic relations.
"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 violently dragged us back across the ice to North Korea and marched us to a nearby army base, where we were detained."
While reflecting on their capture, the journalists suspected that perhaps their guide may have led them into a trap, as they were uneasy about crossing into North Korea at all. Their guide pointed out a nearby village where there were suspected safe houses for people wishing to escape from North Korea into China. Their guide and a Current TV producer, Mitch Kross, were able to escape capture.
In an effort to protect their sources for their story, they ate their notes and destroyed their tapes while in custody. The reporters also acknowledged that they would not speak publicly of some of the more painful aspects of their captivity, so one is left to assume that they were tortured to some degree while in captivity.
The reporters were freed after a visit to Pyongyang by former U.S. President Bill Clinton and flew home with Clinton upon his departure. Since Clinton's visit, North Korea has made attempts to reach out to South Korea and the United States to improve badly damaged diplomatic relations.
Use the feedback form below to submit your comments.
Use the form below to email this article to your friends.
- Hillary Clinton Not Hopeful that North Korean Relations will Improve
- US Reporter Held Captive in North Korea Calls Sister
- North Korea Fires Missiles, Continues to Antagonize the World
- North Korea Likely to Fire Missile Toward Hawaii in Coming Weeks
- North Korea Antagonizing World Powers, Threatens U.S. Ships
- North Korea Ignores World Powers, Conducts Nuclear Weapons Test
- U.S. Calls on North Korea to "Cease Its Provocative Threats"
- North Korea Missile Launch Prompts U.S. Anti-Missile Ships
- North Korea Accuses Obama of Infringing on its Sovereignty
- North Korea: Genocide
- North Korea to Boycott Nuclear Talks After Un Condemns Rocket Launch
- North Korea Launches Long-range Rocket
- North Korea Has Plutonium Ready for Up to Five Nuclear Bombs, Reports Claim
- Japanese Papers Say North Korea Statement Expected
- North Korea Rebuilding Reactor
- US Unveils Plan to End North Korean Nuclear Ambitions
- US Claims Video Shows North Korea Helped Build Syrian Reactor
- New York Philharmonic to Play in North Korea
- U.S. Bans Sales of iPods, Segways, and Harleys to North Korea
- The Nuclear Issue in North Korea
- The Clash of the Koreans: Naval Skirmish in the Yellow Sea
- Playing the Waiting Game: How Kim Jong Il Beats the U.S.