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North Korea Sentences 2 U.S Journalists to 12 Years

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Posted on Jun 8, 2009
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NDTV.com

Two U.S. journalists have been sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp in North Korea for an unnamed “grave crime” and illegal entry into the country. The women were investigating the trafficking of women on the China-North Korea border for a story for Al Gore’s Current TV network when they were arrested in March.

AP:

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By mud, June 10, 2009 at 7:57 am Link to this comment

Only 12 years? Lucky they weren’t busted selling pot in Alabama.

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By PatrickHenry, June 8, 2009 at 4:32 pm Link to this comment

I can think of more than one journalist in this country (USA) that needs such sentencing.

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By Razi, June 8, 2009 at 2:05 pm Link to this comment
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I think it’s far more likely that the women were close to the boarder and North Korean military went across and picked them up knowing full well they were going to escalate tension with their nuclear tests and missile launches, not to mention Kim Jong Il’s imminent turn over of power.  I feel very sorry for Lee’s 4 year old and their families.

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By Likert, June 8, 2009 at 1:38 pm Link to this comment
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Some info on the gulags:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/International/Story?id=7785836&page=1

And some more opinions: http://www.newsy.com/videos/12_years_hard_labor_for_u_s_journalists

No matter the reason they were at the border, they are obviously hostages as the UN decides how to punish Jong and Korea for their nuclear test.  Bargaining chips, which is ironic in a sad way if trafficking was their story.

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By dr wu, June 8, 2009 at 11:12 am Link to this comment

Maybe so; maybe no. Illegally slip into country to learn more about trafficking of women. Al Gore sends them. Were they scoping out more than trafficking? Possible spies?

I don’t believe either of the governments involved tell the truth. And the women’s angle of it? Could be but we’ve been using the women’s issue as one of the pretexts for invading and occupying a number of countries.

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