Laura Ling and Euna Lee -- Speak Out from Current TV

Press Release provided from Current TV and Authored by

Laura Ling and Euna Lee

Laura Ling and Euna Lee have released a statement regarding the events leading to their capture. While covering a human trafficking story between North Korea and China, the two journalist were taken captive by the North Korean Government. The following information has been provided by Current TV and documented themselves by Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

Both journalist wanted to document how they were captured and why they were covering this story. It appears that the morning of March 17th at 5 o'clock in the morning both followed their guide out onto the frozen river that separated China from North Korea. They were wanting to document the grim story of human trafficking and were told that the Tumen River was a well used trafficking route. They trusted their guide who was a Korean Chinese man who was used by other foreign journalist as he walked them closer to the North Korean border. They stated that there were no fences, or barbed wire but they knew they were getting closer. Their guide made deep, low hooting sounds, which they thought were a way to make contact with the North Korean border guards. Their guide assured them that he could arrange an interview for them and urged them to move forward. Both had no intentions of leaving China but they found themselves on the riverbank of the North Korean side. Feeling nervous, both turned and headed back into China. At that point they heard yelling and turned to see two North Korean soldiers with riffles running towards them. Of course, being nervous and scared, instinctively, they ran.

There were firmly standing on Chinese soil when they were apprehended. They tried to grab onto anything while being pulled back to North Korea by these two men. Their producer, Mitch Koss, and their guide were able to outrun the soldiers.

Both Ling and Lee spent 140 days in captivity, moved to Pyongyang, isolated from one another, repeatedly interrogated, and eventually put on trial and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. They were not sure if they would ever come home; however, after five months in captivity they were granted amnesty by the North Korean government. "We are forever indebted to the United States government, particularly to President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, to former Vice President Al Gore and our colleagues at Current TV, to Swedish Ambassador Mats Foyer, and to former President Clinton and his team for taking on this private humanitarian mission."

Below you will find a video of Ling and Lee saying thanks to all of their supporters. For more details regarding the human trafficking aspect of this story, please visit: www.current.com/sl/laura_ling.htm

I did want to comment on the fact that these two journalist (I will refrain from using the word "women") had an extreme amount of guts to have put their lives on the line in order to report on such a dangerous subject.  It is quite obvious that they are truly reporting on the real issues around the world and giving us the facts that we may not hear elsewhere.  I applaud them for their efforts and I am happy that they returned safely.