East Asia

Criticism for journalists freed by North Korea

By The World ⋅ August 4, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment
(AP Photo/David Zentz)

(AP Photo/David Zentz)

South Koreans are welcoming Pyongyang’s release of journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Some see it as a sign that North Korea may be ready to re-open dialogue and calm tensions on the peninsula. But some North Korea activists are still concerned that what Ling, Lee and many other reporters have done in northeast China, has put their work in jeopardy. From Seoul, Jason Strother reports.

You can find the latest BBC coverage of the story here.

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Discussion

2 comments for “Criticism for journalists freed by North Korea”

  • Kate in Portland, OR

    aside from the current drama, what I see is that two potential “emotional” barganing chips with America have been taken out of the hands of North Korea without the current President having to concede anything.

  • http://danwei.ning.com/profile/Spelunker Spelunker

    Finally, a reputable reporter does the right job on getting the proper angle on this story from Korea. I commend Jason Strother for his valuable contribution toward understanding the background of Current TV’s caper.
    The intervierws with Tim Peters and Pastor Jung were most revealing and confirmed my own theories about what happened on the morning of March 17.

    So what can be learned by listening to this report? As Tim Peters suggests, Current TV was not fully prepared for this assignment and not deeply familiar with the terrain. I like the part where he warns naive journalists about “if things go south with their investigations”…and we all know that infers going south of the China/North Korea border.

    Pastor Jung chimes in with more insight about the ethnic Korean local guide (a citizen of China) that was referred to Current TV’s crew by Durihana. Could he be a North Korean informer who deliberately took Current TV’s crew onto North Korean territory?

    Listeners who take the time to hear “PRI’s The World” report will appreciate the informative insight given concerning the China/North Korea border issues and refugees.
    Thank you very much Jason Strother! Thanks also to PRI The World.