Sis: Reporter Says She Broke N. Korean Law

(CBS/AP)  The sister of an American journalist jailed in North Korea says the woman acknowledged breaking North Korean law during a recent phone call.

Lisa Ling told KCRA-TV in Sacramento she spoke to her sister, Laura, on Tuesday.

"It was the third time that I've heard her voice since March 17 when they were first detained. And it was a very different call from the two previous calls. She was very deliberate and clear in her message, which was, look, you just have to know that we did violate North Korean law. We broke the law, we are sorry, and we need help. We need our government's help to try and get amnesty because that really is our only hope," Lisa Ling told KCAR-TV.

Laura Ling and Lee were detained while working for San Francisco-based Current TV, which former U.S. Vice President Al Gore helped found. They were sentenced last month to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry and "hostile acts."

Laura Ling said her sister, who suffers from an ulcer, said she regularly sees physicians and is OK.

"Laura and Euna are deeply, deeply sorry for what they did. They made a mistake. We've all made mistakes and right now we need the help of our government," Ling said.

[erasmus111]

I feel for these women, but you gotta know that if you break the laws in other countries, they have their own set of rules. So when you go there and break their rules, you need to live with the consequences. Why should the government bail you out? Yes, if it were someone in my family, I would want them too, but really, why should they?

[TheMasses0009]

............. pass the ketchup please .............

[erasmus111]

by thescale99 July 9, 2009 8:02 AM PDT
Apparently, copy/paste from MS Word has betrayed me, as well. Please forgive the random question marks scattered throughout my post (they were meant to be quotation marks!)


I've seen this many times. It did it to me once.

[mattlash3]

With the current situation with North Korea, why would a network send two people into a situation that would put them in danger of being arrested by the North Koreans? Did the reportes get gung-ho and go farther than they were supposed to or did their bosses send them in there to break the law and be put in danger of being arrested? They need to watch "Locked up Abroad", you mess up in a foreign country you are at the mercy of that country's system of law. I hope they can get out, my thoughts and prayers are with them. However, I can't feel too sorry for them because, when a person commits and illegal act, they must be prepared to accept the punishment for what they do. I like the saying "you do the crime you do the time"!!!
I hope this works out for them but someone needs to find out if they acted on their own or were directed to do what ever they did, by the network they worked for.

[docpeter1953]

OK, Now we are getting somewhere. We are going to get personal "bailout' from the US govt.

FINALLY!!!!

[culturechang]

Break the law....go to jail. Big surprise.

[credibility2]

DoubleHappiness88 - I have been following the story, so don't go getting judgmental on me you moron. The idiots that were out in force to support these two twits did so under the guise of North Korea having forced the two into false confessions and lying to the world, when in fact they were lying to the world. They did break North Korean law. Now they'll just have to pay the piper and suffer for their immature, ill-advised stupidity. Their supporters were duped. In terms of backbone, what these twits did shows a total lack of judgment and arrogance that they are impervious to following the law and therefore not accountable for their actions.

[pugster]

Maybe those 2 stupid reporters thinks that sneaking to North Korea doesn't break US laws.

[legacyabq]

Im pretty sure the DPRNK folks were standing next to her with a gun toher head telling her what to say. Its not like they gave her a private phone booth or something.. Come on..

[thescale99]

(On a totally different note) What a horribly written article:

1) The fourth paragraph does not note who ?Lee? is (it?s the other detained journalist).
2) The fourth paragraph puts quotation makes around only one of the two charges (illegal entry is not quoted, but "hostile acts? is quoted) ? why?
3) The fifth paragraph incorrectly notes that, ?Laura Ling said her sister?? LISA is the one commenting on her sister?s medical condition. LAURA is the one being detained (and, I assume, not giving press conferences).
4) The fifth paragraph also says, ?Laura Ling SAID HER sister, who suffers from an ulcer, SAID SHE regularly sees?? Difficult to follow who is saying and doing what. Two sentences, please.

Yes, I?m being nit picky. But, damn people, this is CBS/AP. Are the editors just getting lazy?

Welcome to the internet, where copy/paste rules the day.

[thescale99]

Apparently, copy/paste from MS Word has betrayed me, as well. Please forgive the random question marks scattered throughout my post (they were meant to be quotation marks!)

Ah, irony, you fickle fiend!

[legacyabq]

man you got that right.. If the internet is going to be a real news outlet, they have GOT to hire copy editors with a greater-than eighth-grade english education!

Sheesh! I need a job! How about it CBS? Hire us!!!