Journalists Freed by Clinton's North Korea Visit
Talks With Kim Jong Il Lead to Journalists' Pardon and Release
Aug 4, 2009
Former President of the United States Bill Clinton arrived in North Korea Tuesday in an unmarked plane. Clinton was given a respectful welcome in Pyongyang, where a little girl presented him with flowers. Mr. Clinton’s trip to North Korea was to negotiate the release of two U.S. journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The Korean Central News Agency reported that former President Clinton “courteously conveyed” a verbal message from President of the United States Barack Obama.
Imprisoned Journalists Ling and Lee
In March of this year, journalists Ling and Lee were working on a story about the plight of North Korean refugees in China when they strayed across the Chinese border into North Korea and were taken into custody. North Korea later tried and sentenced them to 12 years of hard labor for entering into North Korean territory illegally. Ling’s sister, Lisa, was interviewed by Matt Lauer of NBC where she told him that they were “very, very scared” after receiving a midnight phone call her from her sister. Ling had not heard from her sister in two and a half months.
Failed Efforts to Free the Journalists
Many attempts to intervene on behalf of the journalists have backfired as tensions mounted between the U.S. and North Korea over North Korea’s setting off a nuclear device as well as launching missiles as the U.N. enforced fresh sanctions. The White House had hoped that North Korea could separate the issue of the journalists from the nuclear issue. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had recently asked North Korea for amnesty and immediate release of the journalists on humanitarian grounds.
Clinton's Success Hinged on North Korea's Request
According to CNN, the U.S. planned to send former Vice President Al Gore but North Korea “demanded a higher profile U.S. official” to tie the meeting to nuclear issues. The Obama Administration offered former President Clinton as a compromise.
Clinton’s history with North Korea includes brokering a nuclear deal with them in 1994. That agreement disintegrated in 2003, but experts say that North Korea feels that Clinton has shown them respect, according to NBC and CNN.
The report from Democratic People's Republic of Korea summarized:
"Clinton expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong Il for the hostile acts committed by the two American journalists against the DPRK after illegally intruding into it. Clinton courteously conveyed to Kim Jong Il an earnest request of the U.S. government to leniently pardon them and send them home from a humanitarian point of view."
BBC NEWS reported that former President Clinton is the highest-profile American to visit since his secretary of state, Madeleine Albright in 2000.
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