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Kim Jong-il has issued a special pardon to Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two U.S. Journalists who were detained after entering North Korea illegally in March.
“Kim Jong-il issued an order... granting a special pardon to the two American journalists who had been sentenced to hard labour,” said the statement from the official North Korean News Agency (KCNA). They called it a sign of North Korea's “humanitarian and peace-loving policy.”
Many are associating the release with the visit of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who earlier announced her was headed to Pyongyang on “a private visit.” According to the BBC, media reports in Washington suggest this was a White House-approved mission that had been in the making for weeks.
The White House has denied that former President Clinton arrived with a message from U.S. President Barack Obama. Analysts speculate that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is eager to improve relations with Washington in preparation for the announcement of his successor.
TIMELINE
- March 17, 2009: Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for the San Francisco-based web broadcast Current TV are seized by North Korean border guards while reporting about refugees.
- March 21, 2009: North Korea confirms in a brief dispatch on KCNA that two Americans have been detained and are being investigated for “illegally intruding” from China.
- March 22, 2009: South Korea's newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reports the journalists are undergoing “intense interrogation” at a military guesthouse in the outskirts of Pyongyang for illegal entry and espionage.
- March 28, 2009: Washington, which does not have diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, works with the Swedish Embassy in North Korean. A Swedish diplomat meets with the journalists. No details are given by Washington on the visit, citing privacy concerns.
- June 8, 2009: The journalists are sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in jail for “hostile acts” and illegal entry into North Korea.
- June 16, 2008: North Korea says journalists have “admitted and accepted” their guilt.
- July 10, 2009: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeals for amnesty for the two journalists.
- August 4, 2009: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton arrives in Pyongyang. North Korea later announces the journalists will be pardoned.
According to BBC sources in Washington, it is expected that the two journalists will fly back to the U.S. with former President Clinton in the coming hours.
AROUND THE WEB
North Korea Orders Release Of Euna Lee, Laura Ling During Clinton Visit by Jean H. Lee
North Korea pardons US reporters
on the BBC
Profiles: Laura Ling and Euna Lee on The Guardian
