By It is official now that the two US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee did in fact willfully cross into North Korea:
Laura Ling’s sister says the two American journalists briefly touched North Korean soil before they were captured and detained for months in that communist country.
“She said that it was maybe 30 seconds and then everything got chaotic. It’s a very powerful story, and she does want to share it,” Lisa Ling told CNN Thursday.
A day after the reporters returned from Pyongyang on a private plane, Lisa Ling said her sister is still weak, exhausted and emotional. [Fox News]
I think we can all officially call this team of reporters idiots now even if you only crossed for 30 seconds into North Korea. Let us not forget cameraman Mitch Koss’ role in all of this as well. Gawker has an article up with some pretty good links about Koss. He is actually much more than a cameraman and in fact someone that helped launch the careers of Anderson Cooper and Lisa Ling.
Also as I said before the North Koreans would assuredly treat these two well while being detained because everyone knew they would eventually get released the only question was at what cost, which we are still waiting to find out:
Laura Ling told her family she was treated humanely, but meals were meager and her phone calls were monitored, Lisa Ling said.
“She had two guards in her room at all times, morning and night. And even though they couldn’t speak to her, somehow they developed a strange sort of kinship, Lisa Ling said. “She had some really lovely things to say about the people who were watching over her.”
The reporter passed her time in captivity reading, walking circles around her cell for exercise and planning when she would wash her hair, because water service was intermittent, Lisa Ling said.
Oh and get this Laura Ling is planning to write an editorial about here experience in captivity in North Korea. Could this be the prelude to a book she is going to write to cash in on all of this? This is all enough to make the Marmot almost have a complete meltdown while One Free Korea’s list is becoming remarkably accurate.
2:25 am on August 7th, 2009 1
These ladies are as stupid as they come. It's sad that Bill Clinton had to go to NK to get these losers out of jail. And no, I won't buy a book written by these fools that's going to have some ridiculous dramatic title like "Held captive by the Dear Leader" or "My Dark Summer in North Korea". It was actually a nice gesture for NK to let these idiots go. I just know these lame asses will be on Oprah and The View.
3:34 am on August 7th, 2009 2
Hope they have the decency to donate the book's proceeds to an agency that tries to help oppressed North Koreans.
3:45 am on August 7th, 2009 3
Are you f'ing kidding me? Only the elite of the elite have phones in North Korea – it's astounding that she ever had access to one. In terms of how most are treated in North Korea – it sounds like they were treated like visiting royalty.
8:17 am on August 7th, 2009 4
The Gawker article cites ROK Drop and mentions an unnamed ROK Drop commenter but when Spelunker tried to leave an insightful comment about Mitch Koss on Gawker those BASTARDS wouldn't publish it.
The rest of this comment is directed at the editors of Gawker, whose writers obviously read ROK Drop to educate themselves about the Current TV caper.
Are you kidding me? You delete my intelligent comment and publish babble like this:
"They're spies, duh. Act like you know"
"it was one of those pesky bridge trolls, I just know it!"
"I hear that the machine required tokens and all they had brought along was quarters."
"I say it was Colonel Mustard under the bridge with a candle stick."
You post an article about Mitch Koss, yet not a single one of the 15 comments you chose to publish even mentions his name! What were you thinking when you deleted the only relevant comment concerning Mitch Koss? It doesn't make any sense, but neither do most of the comments you chose to publish anyway.
Like this one:
"I've been to the DMZ in Korea — and you just don't mess around with the North Korean guards on the border."
I've got exclusive news for you Gawker: the North Korean guards along the China border are nothing like those at the DMZ. Ever hear of a DMZ border guard getting bribed to allow refugees to walk across the 38th parallel?
Idiot.
11:13 am on August 7th, 2009 5
First of all Anderson Cooper is Gloria Vanderbilt’s son (yes, THAT Gloria Vanderbilt) so he didn’t need a great deal of help.
Lisa Ling said. “She had some really lovely things to say about the people who were watching over her.” Ever hear of Stockholm syndrome; my young, vivacious and intrepid "international correspondent"?
These girls just won the lottery.
12:47 pm on August 7th, 2009 6
So the guards took a liking to these 2 girls; good for Laura and Euna! At least it might also change the minds of two people in North Korea who were raised to hate Americans. Maybe they will tell their family and close friends that America is not such a terrible imperialist country after all.
I recall Euna's guard was kind enough to help facilitate her getting a message to her husband reminding him to register Hana for summer school. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Laura and Euna definitely made a mistake entering North Korea, but they made no errors with the impressions that they left with a few North Koreans lucky enough to be part of their story.
12:59 pm on August 7th, 2009 7
Let's be patient and see what Laura says. I hope we hear from Euna, too. As to Mitch Koss, has anyone noticed this strange detail? The June 16 KCNA report says he was present at the confab in LA in January, but doesn't say that he was one of the two men who got away in March on the Tuman.
3:01 pm on August 7th, 2009 8
Once again, KCNA's English version leaves out many details. Here is the relevant paragraph from the Chinese version, in which all 4 trespassers are named:
3月17日六点，由千基元介绍的金成哲带路，米丘•柯斯、罗拉•玲和李承恩从中国图们市出发偷渡冰冻的豆满江，到我方江岸便用摄影机拍摄周边地物，并配制了“我们刚才未经允许进入北朝鲜境内”的录音，甚至捡了一个小石头作纪念。
On March 17 at 06:00 Jin Chengzhe, the guide introduced by Chun Ki-won, led Mitch Koss, Laura Ling and Euna Lee from the Chinese town of Tumen on a secret excursion to cross the frozen Tumen River. Upon reaching our shore they used a video camera to film the surrounding surface features. They also narrated "We have just entered North Korean territory without permission" and even picked up a small stone as a souvenir.
(English translation by Spelunker)