N. Korea Gives US Journalists 12 Years Hard Labor

World | Mon, Jun 8, 2009 at 3:25:55 pm PDT

Two US journalists for Al Gore’s Current TV have been sentenced to 12 years’ hard labour in North Korea.

I notice we aren’t hearing a lot of talk about “unclenching fists” these days.

The US hinted at the weekend that, in response to the nuclear stand-off, it could rebrand North Korea a terrorist state and also begin stopping and searching North Korean ships. One small hopeful sign from today’s sentencing was that the fate of the two journalists was not publicly linked to the nuclear row. Washington too will strive to keep the issues separate.

The two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who worked for Al Gore’s Current TV, were arrested in March while filming a report about North Koreans fleeing across the Tumen river into China. North Korea claims the two illegally entered the country but other reports said the two had been filming from Chinese soil.

Their trial, held in secret, began on Thursday and they were sentenced to 12 years of “reform through labour” for an unspecified “grave crime” and for allegedly entering the country illegally, according to North Korean television.