N. Korea to Try Jailed US Journos Next Month

Women face labor camps if found guilty of 'hostile acts' in N. Korea

(NEWSER) - North Korea began the trial of two American reporters yesterday in a media blackout, AFP reports. Laura Ling and Euna Lee are charged with entering the country illegally and engaging in unspecified "hostile acts" and could be sentenced to up to 10 years in a labor camp. North Korea has so far refused to comment on the trial. Analysts predict that the women will be found guilty, and then used as bargaining chips in Pyongyang's negotiations with the US. More»

(NEWSER) - The same sprawling network of business and political contacts that caused trouble with Hillary Clinton's confirmation as secretary of state helped her husband secure the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, the Washington Post reports. Private donors paid for Bill Clinton's trip to North Korea, and the former president handpicked the team that came with him, which included his former chief of staff. More»

(NEWSER) - Bill Clinton has met with reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, official state media reports. The Korean news agency described Clinton as "courteously" conveying a message from President Obama, saying he and Kim shared a "wide-ranging exchange of views." But the White House denied that Clinton was bearing such a message, calling the trip a "solely private mission." The former president arrived in Pyongyang today in an unmarked aircraft, in an effort to free detained journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. More»

(NEWSER) - North Korea has not yet sent Lisa Ling or Euna Lee to a prison labor camp, keeping them instead in a “guest house,” according to a University of Georgia political scientist who recently visited the country. It's a sign that Pyongyang still wants to negotiate the girls' fate with the US the scholar said, predicting that North Korea would soon schedule talks. More»

(NEWSER) - The "shocked and devastated" families of two San Francisco journalists sentenced to 12 years hard labor in North Korea have pleaded with authorities to show compassion and free the women from a grueling future behind bars. The families are concerned about the "wellbeing and mental state" of Euna Lee and Laura Ling, and said that Ling's 4-year-old daughter was "anguished," according to a joint statement. More»