Looking Up to Laura Ling and Euna Lee

June 8, 2009 3:00 pm     Posted in News  Katie - Michigan State University g+ page

ling and leeThe names Laura Ling and Euna Lee are on everyone’s tongue as the news of their 12-year sentence of hard labor breaks.  In case you don’t know the entire story, the two women, both journalists, were arrested on the border of China and North Korea as they reported on the flight of North Korean refugees into China.  Today, they were given a 12 year sentence in a North Korean labor camp, the maximum sentence for the “crime” (i.e. illegal entry and hostility toward Korean people) they had committed. Since they were tried at the highest court, there is no appeal.  There is also no early release due to overcrowding or good behavior.


By Katie

Even worse, all reports indicate that any time served in a North Korean labor camp is tantamount to a death sentence.

These two women are shining examples of what our generation strives to be – hard-working, independent, intelligent individuals who are passionate about the human condition.  We should not only keep these women in our thoughts, but also look to their bravery as an example of how to live our lives.  This can only underline the power and the preciousness of our right to free speech and fair trial (and all our rights we are free to enjoy in the United States).

All my best wishes go to these ladies.  Let’s hope someone with more power than I have can pull through and get them out of there.

6 Comments on "Looking Up to Laura Ling and Euna Lee"

  1. stardustandmoonshine says:
    Mon, 8th Jun 20094:22 pm 

    I saw the news concerning Laura Ling & Euna Lee in the past few months, but I never really paid much attention to it until I saw in the news today that they had been sentenced to 12 yrs of hard labor. It sounds like their sentences are part of North Korean politics because of problems between the U.S. and North Korea over the latter’s nuclear program. It’s horrible that these two ladies got caught in the middle of all this tension.

  2. Morgan says:
    Mon, 8th Jun 20094:40 pm 

    I don’t think that excuses the nation for this sentencing. I am pretty sure that any outside citizens would receive harsh treatment for the story these two were covering. They were casting a dark light on North Korea, like they need it.

  3. Factoid says:
    Mon, 8th Jun 20095:29 pm 

    These two "reporters" pushed the envelope and got caught in a political sandwich. That's the risk you take if you want to produce the big hit that gets you fame and money. If you lose, it's not reasonable to expect your nation to sacrifice its time and treasure to bail your sorry ass out of the slammer. If they hadn't got busted by the Norks, they'd be cashing in on the trespassing on Dateline or something. I have little sympathy for reporters who dare the odds but cry like babies when the odds go against them.

  4. Chakka says:
    Mon, 15th Jun 20098:52 pm 

    How sad for these ladies, they have had pamperd lives and failed to realize it can all be lost in a moment. It’s called taking chances with your life , and they lost.

  5. Academy of Art Unive says:
    Tue, 16th Jun 20098:29 am 

    Euna Lee is a 2001 graduate of the Academy of Art University. We have compiled an online petition to call for the immediate release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling. Please join us by adding your name: http://www.academyart.edu/petition

  6. Chakka says:
    Tue, 16th Jun 20093:45 pm 

    Ware will you send this petition? Who on earth will be able to do anything for these ladies?

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