We mentioned yesterday that Lisa Ling received a call from her sister ,Laura Ling, who is one of two American journalists being charged with trespassing in North Korea. The sentence has been issued as 12 years of “reform through labor” for illegal border crossing.
Now, we can report that the North Korean government have delayed sending Laura and Euna Lee to the prison labor camps, in hopes that this will open the lines of communication with Washington.
University of Georgia political scientist Han Park was supplied the news from North Korean officials and passed the information to American media.
He says, “North Korea’s move not to carry out the sentence suggests that it could release them through a dialogue with the United States and they could be set free at an early date, depending on the U.S. gesture.”
In the meantime, the woman have been held in a guest house in the North Korean capital, where they are “doing fine.”
Specifically, the North Korean government doesn’t seem to be wanting much from the U.S. government. All they seek are “an official apology over their hostile acts and promises that such things won’t happen again.”
We think that is reasonable. Give them what they want and bring those poor women home where they belong!
[Image via AP Images.]
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