In Shift, US Calls for “Amnesty” for Journalists in NK
EmailABC News' Kirit Radia reports:In an attempt to gain their release, the United States has shifted its carefully crafted language to imply the culpability of two American journalists who were convicted by North Korea of illegally entering the Stalinist country earlier this year. Today, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton even appeared to apologize for the incident."Well, the two journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident. And I think everyone is very sorry that it happened. What we hope for now is that these two young women would be granted amnesty through the North Korean system and be allowed to return home to their families as soon as possible," Clinton said during a town hall meeting with State Department employees. Earlier this year Secretary Clinton appealed directly to North Korea after the journalists were convicted of unspecified "hostile acts." US officials tell ABC News Clinton wrote a letter to Pyongyang apologizing and asking for their release.The two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were apprehended by North Korean border guards in March as they reported along the frozen river that separates China and North Korea. They were on assignment for Current TV, a media outlet started by former Vice President Al Gore.For months US officials have urged North Korea to release the two Americans on "humanitarian" grounds. That language continued even after Ling and Lee had been convicted and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. US officials say the two remain in Pyongyang and have not yet been sent to labor camps.But according to ABC News consultant Dr Han Park, who recently returned from Pyongyang, North Korea wants to hear an admission that the two strayed into their territory, and wants to hear it from US officials, before they release them.The US shift came yesterday after one of the journalists' sister quoted her in similar terms. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly yesterday called on North Korea to grant the two Americans "amnesty," a term that would imply they are being pardoned, and thus a tacit admission that the two did something wrong.Only hours earlier Laura Ling's sister Lisa quoted her as saying in a recent phone conversation from detention: "We broke the law, we are sorry, and we need help. We need our government's help to try and get amnesty because that really is our only hope."
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So according to ABC news consultant Dr. Han Park, North Korea wants to hear an admission that Laura and Euna strayed into their territory, and wants to hear it from US officials before they are released.
However aside from illegal entry the 2 American journalists were also charged with other “grave crimes” related to the content of their confiscated videos.
If the trespassing admission is all they want to hear in order for the 2 girls to be released then it seems so easy for Hillary to just say so.
“OK, OK, we apologize for Laura Ling and Euna Lee crossing the North Korea border without permission.” Is that all Hillary has to say for our 2 Americans to be released in some sort of magical “Abracadabera” like manner?
Posted by: Spelunker | July 10, 2009, 2:50 pm 2:50 pm
I’m bad…NOW LET THEM GO…
Posted by: Parallex View | July 10, 2009, 3:00 pm 3:00 pm
As someone already noted, talk is cheap. When American citizens plea for such cheap intervention, any American administration will give it. It is not like this subtle wording is going to rile the North Koreans any more, or that anyone else will see it as anything more than standard diplomacy with a stark raving mad nation.
Posted by: jhw539 | July 10, 2009, 3:09 pm 3:09 pm
I hope this works. We need to continue to press for these women to be freed. I certainly hope NK does not want a confession to “crimes” beyond crossing the border, as Spelunker mentioned. I have no problem with the statement Secretary Clinton gave and I hope and pray that it is sufficient.
Posted by: moderate | July 10, 2009, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
Well, first it was a kidnapping, then an illegal detention, then an unfair trial…now we want ‘amnesty’.
Why are American ‘journalists’ allowed to willfully break the laws of another country and expect to be treated leniently?
I would like to see the N Koreans release the videotape they made of themselves illegally entering NK and have the world media explain that.
They should feel lucky they both got time in prison, and not shot.
NK will release them when it benefits NK (i.e., to the detriment of U.S. interests).
I do feel for them personally, but they were very stupid.
When you play in the middle of the road…you get run over.
They got run over, and lived to come home and become media celebrities and guests on Oprah one day.
Look on the bright side…in a few yrs, the NK’s have made their careers!
Posted by: J House | July 10, 2009, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm
The Sec. of State will probably apologize and they will be released…that is why Laura Ling has been so quiet, while before she was very vocal and public.
Clinton should agree to the release only after having Ling and Lee sign an agreement that they will not profit or obtain any career gain from the incident.After all, they committed a crime against another country and the US govt had to get involved to the detriment of its own policy.
What is to stop other ‘journalists’ from doing the same thing again in order to gain celebrity?
Posted by: J House | July 10, 2009, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Gimme a break… the only reason they got detained was because they were tied to a celeb. NK knew it would be a playing card for them to try to make the US look weak and stupid. Guess what NK…… not working.
Posted by: Kenneth Buch | July 10, 2009, 5:04 pm 5:04 pm
The last time a S. Korean tourist strayed into NK territory, she was shot dead.
They are fortunate that didn’t happen to them.
And mark my word, they will go on the celebrity journalist circuit shortly, including docu-drama, book deals, etc.
The sanctimony by the media will be deafening for 2 days once they are released.They will be hailed as ‘brave journalists’.
Please…
Posted by: J House | July 10, 2009, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
To do it right, we have to know who is who in the NK leadership, how they need to relate to the time-locked people of NK (providing it’s not too far off the global map, and progressing towards inclusion on some scale), and likely, some kind of control over what the accounts become after they are released. My bet is that the last of those is creating the most difficulty negotiating the situation.
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | July 10, 2009, 5:59 pm 5:59 pm
I guess the crux for us is, if the NK leadership doesn’t accept the official request for ‘amnesty’, we will be suspecting a more sinister or deeper plot, but from their view, or the way that the NK people have been managed for all these decades, is it possible to introduce the idea of State ‘mercy’ into a people so far trained into the depths of fear and cold disciplined servitude?
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | July 10, 2009, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
Any historical examples, besides the dead-ends? Maybe it would be possible for NK to accept a plea on our behalf from Chinese diplomats, etc?
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | July 10, 2009, 6:19 pm 6:19 pm
The North Koreans want a confession to the other crimes they were charged with. The trespassing charge does not even need to be admitted to as they were detained in North Korean territory. Hillary should recognize this and refuse to apologize or temporize by asking for amnesty. The Norks desire is to use this situation to embarrass the US and get us to appear weak. It is working well.
Posted by: Jason | July 10, 2009, 6:23 pm 6:23 pm
I’m sure we can give them a lot to feed their people without making false admissions. If the leadership is so dense that they can’t work with that, given diplomatic support for both the US and NK from Chinese diplomats, then many more situations like this can be expected. It really doesn’t matter how weak we look inside NK, if that’s what they want, as long as we’re not taking up false positions on our own account, and as long as the leadership is making some overtures to open the regime a little, which they have been.
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | July 10, 2009, 6:59 pm 6:59 pm
The N. Koreans have a habit of kidnapping marriage age women from Japan and S. Korea. Maybe that played a part. Also, anyone doing a documentary on N. Korea had to know the consequences of disturbing this paranoid, hermetically-sealed and merciless kingdom. Were the women alone? No security, no bodyguards, a larger group of any kind? Nothing?
In 2001, a Navy P-3 was forced to land inside China and was accused of violating Chinese airspace. It’s interesting to contrast how Bush handled that incident with how Obama is handling this one.
The last (very short) press conference Bush had on the matter showed he was finished playing their game, cautioning tersely “It is now time for my aircrew and their plane to be returned.”
They were released shortly thereafter, but I wonder how perceptions of strength/weakness, and an Administration’s record of appeasement and apologies can affect the outcomes in situations like these.
Posted by: emjay | July 10, 2009, 8:20 pm 8:20 pm
These two “journalists” wanted to go there. Well, they are there now. Why are we even wasting time on this?
Posted by: GarandFan | July 10, 2009, 8:26 pm 8:26 pm
What would have happened if the situation had been reversed? In reality, not in “America is benevolent and wise” fantasy.
Look at how fast the NK were accused of hacking into the world’s computers… somehow I don’t think two NK journalists (or anybody) found sneaking around would get an “oh you kid you,” and sent on their merry way.
Gitmo ain’t no summer camp…
Posted by: Eyes Open | July 10, 2009, 8:34 pm 8:34 pm
The women in question ought to be freed. I really don’t think, based on their own political history with CurrentTV that they are simultaneously working for the CIA. They probably were just caught up in the fever of trying to sneak in and get some inside info on this secretive country.
How to free them is another question. Admitting that crossing into NK territory is a “crime” plays into NK’s desire for guarantees against incursion. Imagine the wailing they will pursue if we “incur” on their airspace to bomb out a few nuclear facilities.
Posted by: thinkabouddit | July 10, 2009, 8:45 pm 8:45 pm
This proves Obama is weak-kneed. A real man would have pounded his chest and proclaimed the reporters innocent angels, thereby saving face and making sure they stayed jailed indefinitely.
How dare Obama try to get two Americans released.
Posted by: Samir2 | July 10, 2009, 8:55 pm 8:55 pm
Until journalists get in touch with the American viewpoint regarding H1B labor and the Indian mafia putting Americans out of work, I don’t really care any more. Ask the CEOs to free you! I’m tired of soldiers and taxpayers paying for your one-sided view towards Americans that could be working if not for the biased views you present regarding H1Bs and the Indian mafia that discriminates against all Americans when it comes to hiring!
Posted by: Common Sense | July 10, 2009, 8:56 pm 8:56 pm
This administration is an absolute disgrace. Is there any tyranny or tyrant they will not bow to, shake hands with or appease?
Posted by: Obamaiscarter | July 10, 2009, 9:00 pm 9:00 pm
“Gitmo ain’t no summer camp…”
Yeah, because there is a moral equivalence between two women who were filming N. Korea from the Chinese border and people who belong to a group of mass-murderers apprehended fighting against American soldiers.
And it is just awesome to read all the comments from the people indicating these women did this. It is pretty obvious the only reason anyone would take this position is to give cover to a “president” who is about to apologize and make nice with the most brutal tyranny on earth. I would use the term weakling to describe Obama, but that doesn’t do his bowing and scraping justice.
Posted by: Obamaiscarter | July 10, 2009, 9:05 pm 9:05 pm
The Obama apology tour continues. Now we are apologizing for Al Gore’s reporters illegally entering North Korea. They admit they were doing exactly what the North Koreans said they were doing. They admit they entered the country illegally to do a smear piece on North Korea. They did so knowing what the penalties would be if they got caught. They got what they deserved. Some countries actually respect their borders.
Posted by: Ty Cobb | July 10, 2009, 9:09 pm 9:09 pm
I think this is a smart move by Clinton, and I hope it works.
Like it or not, North Korea is a sovereign nation, and the two reporters were tried and convicted according to their laws (whatever Kim Jong Il wanted).
Asking for amnesty saves him face, doesn’t make us look weak, and may get these women back. I suspect there is a limited window to operate in- once they go to a real North Korean labor camp, as they’ve been sentenced, they’ll never let them back out.
Posted by: MayBee | July 10, 2009, 9:28 pm 9:28 pm
emjay:” It’s interesting to contrast how Bush handled that incident with how Obama is handling this one.”
You think these are equivalent situations? *boggle* We had normal diplomatic relations with China and an insane number of economic levers.
Technically, North Korea is still at war with us and things go downhill from there.
Posted by: jhw539 | July 10, 2009, 9:31 pm 9:31 pm
Maybe “our” President should take a bow to Kim and secure the release of these two punks…how many tyrants this admin. has apologized on “our” behalf already?…these two punks from currentTV knew what they were getting into..if someone get into my house illegally and I shot them, who’s at fault here…12 years of labor camp will teach these Algore devotees…btw, I want “our’ President to apologize to the American people on the deficits, the unemployment and all the government waste to various pork projects.
Posted by: Mika | July 10, 2009, 10:01 pm 10:01 pm
According to Current TV, these reporters were filming there to show Americans how wonderful life is in North Korea, where they have so much consideration for the environment and provide free health care.
Posted by: maryo | July 10, 2009, 11:24 pm 11:24 pm
Maybe between China, US, and NK, a project could be arranged to let AlGore and his Current TV go over and finish the project on ‘inside North Korea’ with strict oversight by the new North Korean leadership? The project could be aired nationwide on PBS?
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | July 10, 2009, 11:36 pm 11:36 pm
I would watch it.
Posted by: MarkLeavenworth | July 10, 2009, 11:50 pm 11:50 pm
I was ready to put out an amber alert on Hill. Least she’s getting some press..
Maybe she should say we are sorry their missiles didn’t hit Hawaii too?
What an embarrassment this WH is.
Posted by: ashamedofUS | July 10, 2009, 11:50 pm 11:50 pm
ahh but for that pesky rule of not assassinating. I guess its ok to starve the people if you are the ruler/diety of a country. Screw moral relativism. How ’bout Kim gets “ill” til the desired results are achieved.
Posted by: Socmodfiscon | July 11, 2009, 12:26 am 12:26 am
Seriously, is the U.S. apologizing *again?*
Is this yet another mea culpa for being capitalist pigs, and for western culture? Obama directing Clinton to yet another tinpot dictator?
What are we promising them behind the scenes, yet another concession in nukes? Look, I want those women out of there as much as anyone, but this just sounds like caving into some trade or weaponry demand.
Posted by: David Weideman | July 11, 2009, 1:03 am 1:03 am
Since they worked for Al Gore,why don’t we offer an exchange-the two reporters for Gore.
Posted by: Don | July 11, 2009, 1:32 am 1:32 am
“What would have happened if the situation had been reversed? In reality, not in “America is benevolent and wise” fantasy.”
Geez. If we found NK spies in the U.S. we would probably ask them to pay “non-resident” tuition while they studies nuclear physics at USC.
Is there anyone else that is old enough to remember the Russian “trawlers” that used to cruise just outside the territorial limits. We used to try to spot them when we went to the Oregon coast when I was a kid.
Posted by: John Dunshee | July 11, 2009, 5:45 am 5:45 am
Appeaser-in-Chief strikes again!
Spineless.
Posted by: Jim | July 11, 2009, 6:14 am 6:14 am
/——
Geez. If we found NK spies in the U.S. we would probably ask them to pay “non-resident” tuition while they studies nuclear physics at USC.
——/
So true. After completion of studies, the spy would be allowed to stay because they could start consulting firms “recruiting” others (for 1/2 the pay of Americans). Funny and not.
Posted by: Common Sense | July 11, 2009, 6:45 am 6:45 am
Indeed. He’s apologizing to everyone except for those he really owes an apology-
us.
Posted by: drjohn | July 11, 2009, 7:49 am 7:49 am
How can there be any controversy about this? The women’s employer ought to be severely prosecuted by China for financing illegal acts.
Posted by: tanarg | July 11, 2009, 9:01 am 9:01 am
Honestly, for the women’s sake I hope that it works. Though if Kim is smart, he’ll either turn this admission of appeasement into a justified reason for keeping the women and increasing hostilities towards the US. Or after releasing the women the US becomes indebted to the north Koreans and will likely not get involved if stuff goes down in S Korea. Either way Kim wins and there’s only ONE way the women will win.
Note to American foreign travelers: you’re better off staying home. Hopenchange isn’t liked that much around the world. You get caught in a Kangaroo court, you’re likely screwed.
Posted by: xax | July 11, 2009, 10:28 am 10:28 am
“And it is just awesome to read all the comments from the people indicating these women did this. It is pretty obvious the only reason anyone would take this position is to give cover to a “president” who is about to apologize and make nice with the most brutal tyranny on earth.”
– Obamaiscarter
You’re right. Politics is the new religion and Obama is their messiah. And we all know, despite that fact that he’s human and not Jesus, Obama is never wrong. And if he’s is “wrong”, they must all be “wrong” in order to make it appear that he’s “right”. Polling is important. There is no right and wrong anymore. It’s been supplanted by a simple majority.
Posted by: xax | July 11, 2009, 10:35 am 10:35 am
The Obama admin is releasing terrorists in Iraq back to Iran. We have more important things to worry about than these losers.
Posted by: marcus | July 11, 2009, 1:07 pm 1:07 pm
” Politics is the new religion and Obama is their messiah. And we all know, despite that fact that he’s human and not Jesus, Obama is never wrong.”
President Obama makes and admits to mistakes. Please don’t try to make him out as something he isn’t.
The Beatles were the true messiahs.
Posted by: danita | July 11, 2009, 3:27 pm 3:27 pm
Those two women are imprisoned because of work they were doing to enrich Al Gore, and yet instead of working 24/7 to free them, Al Gore is out spewing his global warming lies….to enrich Al Gore.
How vile.
Posted by: paul | July 11, 2009, 5:19 pm 5:19 pm
Again this shows the naivete of the Obama WH. Get into the ring (following the rules) with a thug who doesn’t follow the rules (NK) and you’ll get creamed every time! WH, wipe the egg off your face, please.
Posted by: daniro45 | July 11, 2009, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
daniro45 . . .
The actual news article is worth reading, try it sometime . ..
“But according to ABC News consultant Dr Han Park, who recently returned from Pyongyang, North Korea wants to hear an admission that the two strayed into their territory, and wants to hear it from US officials, before they release them.
“The US shift came yesterday after one of the journalists’ sister quoted her in similar terms.
“State Department spokesman Ian Kelly yesterday called on North Korea to grant the two Americans “amnesty,” a term that would imply they are being pardoned, and thus a tacit admission that the two did something wrong.
“Only hours earlier Laura Ling’s sister Lisa quoted her as saying in a recent phone conversation from detention: “We broke the law, we are sorry, and we need help. We need our government’s help to try and get amnesty because that really is our only hope.”
Posted by: danita | July 11, 2009, 10:43 pm 10:43 pm
n korea should do with them what we would do… throw them in Gitmo for a decade and never give them a trial. works for us.
Posted by: hypocrisy | July 12, 2009, 8:46 am 8:46 am