Two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, have been pardoned by North Korea. They were arrested in March while reporting along the border of China and North Korea.
That announcement came late Tuesday afternoon after former President Bill Clinton made an unannounced visit to North Korea and then held a series of high-level talks, including a rare chat with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
This is not the first time a former American president has gone to North Korea to negotiate. In fact, 15 years ago, during Bill Clinton’s first term, former President Jimmy Carter went to North Korea to negotiate on an earlier standoff on nuclear weapons.
Thomas Whalen, an associate professor of social science at Boston University, joins Martin Savidge to discuss Clinton’s mission and other ex-presidents who have been sent on diplomatic missions.
Read more from Worldfocus blogger Nina Hachigian: Mr. Clinton goes to Pyongyang
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08/15/2009 :: 07:36:09 PM
Miles R Swain Says:
Follow up to my previous comment-
Sometimes a reporters job is to put him/herself into dangerous situations to get us the news we so dearly love watching on CNN/Fox/MSN. While they did violate trespassing laws, their situation hardly warranted a 12-14 years of hard labor sentence. And since most people involved in their rescue volunteered their time (Mr. Former President) and property (Mr. Bing’s personal plane) the costs appear to be minimal which make me wonder why your comment was entirely focused on $$$. How about a big thank you to Mr. Clinton, Mr. Bing, Mr. Gore, ETC. for their successful efforts instead?