 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
. |
History of North Korea's previous releases of US citizens
Seoul (AFP) June 8, 2009 Two female journalists jailed in North Korea Monday could be freed after a political deal with Washington, analysts said, in line with earlier releases of US citizens following high-level intervention. Laura Ling and Euna Lee were sentenced to 12 years in a labour camp for an illegal border crossing and an unspecified "grave crime." They were detained by North Korean border guards on March 17 while researching a story about refugees fleeing the hardline communist state. Some analysts believe a political deal with Washington, including a possible visit by a senior US figure such as former vice-president Al Gore, could lead to their freedom. Pyongyang has in the past freed Americans it has detained but only after personal intervention -- often along with an apology. In 1996 Bill Richardson, who was then a US congressman, negotiated the release of Evan Hunziker. The man had been detained for three months on suspicion of spying after swimming the Yalu border river. Richardson, who is now the governor of New Mexico, at the time described Hunziker as a confused young man who had engaged in an "adventuresome frolic apparently under the influence of alcohol." In 1994 Richardson had helped negotiate the release of Bobby Hall, one of two pilots of a US army helicopter shot down after straying into North Korea. The other pilot, David Hileman, was killed. Hall's release came after Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Hubbard visited Pyongyang to agree a statement of "sincere regret" for the "legally unjustified intrusion" into the North's airspace. Neither Hunziker nor Hall had been tried in court on criminal charges. In the best known incident North Korean gunboats in 1968 seized the USS Pueblo, a spy ship with 83 Americans aboard. One was killed in the seizure. After being detained for 11 months, the 82 walked south across the inter-Korean border. Their release came after the US signed a document acknowledging that the Pueblo had illegally intruded into the North's territorial waters. The North still displays the Pueblo as a tourist attraction on the Taedong River which runs through Pyongyang. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
NKorea renews threat over SKorea anti-proliferation move: reportSeoul (AFP) June 6, 2009 North Korea Saturday restated that South Korea's decision to join a US-led drive against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was a "declaration of war," a report said. Within days of Pyongyang's detonation of a second nuclear bomb on May 25, Seoul said it would join Washington's Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a move that incensed North Korea. "South Korea's full ... read more |
. |
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook