The United States seeks amnesty for the two American journalists held in North Korea. The United States seeks amnesty for the two American journalists held in North Korea on March 17 and was convicted for committing hostilities against the Korean nation and illegal entry. The United States has dropped its request that two American journalists imprisoned in North Korea be released on humanitarian grounds, and is seeking amnesty instead.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton asked North Korea’s government Friday to grant amnesty to two journalists from San Francisco’s Current TV imprisoned there, a move analysts say may open the diplomatic door for the journalists’ release. Read more…
North Korea fired a barrage of missiles. North Korea fired seven ballistic missiles into the sea between Communist state and Japan on Saturday in an act of defiance toward the United States that further stoked regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test last May.
Reports said the missiles test-fired were Scud-type. North Korea has fired several non-ballistic, short-range missiles since the May 25 nuclear test. South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed the North fired seven missiles off its east coast from morning to late afternoon that flew about 400 km (250 miles) and splashed into the sea.
North Korea sharpened its standoff with Washington on Saturday by following through on part of its earlier warnings that it would respond to the resolution and sanctions with more tests of its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Read more…
The Central Court, North Korea’s highest court, sentenced two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, to 12 years of hard labor for committing hostilities against the Korean nation and illegal entry. This intensifies North Korea’s confrontation with the United States.
Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee was arrested by North Korea’s patrolling guards near the China-North Korean border on March 17. They were accompanied by a cameraman and a local guide, who were able to escape. The two American journalists were reporting about the trafficking of North Korean women when they were arrested. It’s unclear if they strayed into the North or were grabbed by the aggressive border guards who crossed into China.
The sentencing came amid rising tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, fueled by North Korea’s nuclear testing last month. The sentence to North Korea’s infamous prison camps came despite repeated appeals for clemency from the journalists’ families. Read more…
