After 5 months of ordeal in North Korea, the two American journalists have finally been pardoned by President Kim Jong Il. All thanks to former President Bill Clinton.
What happened during those 5 months of detention is still not known but I am sure the world will want to know if they were at all ill-treated while in the hands of Pyongyang's military. Afterall, they are American journalists doing a coverage for Al Gore's Current TV.
It didn't really bother me that two American journalists were captured but the media successfully made it a big story for two intruders into a foreign country. See, the word used was 'intruders'.
Let's look at it this way. Euna and Laura were surely aware of the consequences of illegally intruding into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea so why all the hype when the two Americans were captured? They were merely asking for it isn't it? They were out to toy with their lives and emotional strings of audiences like me.
Well, it could be a good cause that they set out for. Perhaps they wanted to tell the world about the human trafficking that were happening at the borders. Or maybe they really wanted fame when they took on the project and if that is so, both of them made it. Not many would get to know the names Euna Lee and Laura Ling if not for this capture.Who knows, Hollywood might just start knocking on their doors for a movie script.
Can't the world learn what is wrong and right? Firstly, was it even right that a foreigner enters a country without valid permission or authorisation. If someone you didn't know intruded into your private property, wouldn't you get him or her to get out and what could be worst when the intruder decides to take photos of your home without seeking permission. You'll likely get irritated by such gesture and report it to the authorities right?
Euna and Laura indeed got on the wrong side of the law in North Korea. That's a given. They did something wrong and in the law books of the Northern Peninsula, they had to be punished. They had to be sent to labour camp for 12 years so what on earth is wrong with that? When one does wrong, one should be punished.
Whenever the United States of America feels that national security is compromised, they have a habit of firing their missiles and killing thousands of people. Is that right or wrong? North Korea perhaps felt that their national security was also compromised when Americans Euna and Laura intruded. The argument is open.
So what triggered the visit by Bill Clinton? Was it the duration that mattered? 12years is a long time but I would think even when Pyongyang throws the two intruders a sentence of 6 months, the Americans would still find ways to get them out. Afterall, they are American journalists. Have you ever wondered what made them special? : )
