Laura Ling and colleague Euna Lee were sentenced this week to 12 years of hard labor by North Korea's high court, with no ability to appeal the ruling, and no direct diplomatic ties in place to help secure their release. They were found guilty of "hostilities against the Korean nation and illegal entry." 
The reporting Ling and Lee were doing took them all the way to the border between China and North Korea. The two American journalists were in China working on a story about North Korean refugees and human trafficking. It is a difficult, even dangerous trip. They got help planning the journey from Reverend Chun Ki Won, a Christian missionary from South Korea whose organization smuggles Bibles into North Korea through China.The last time he spoke with Ling and Lee on the phone was the morning of March 17, when they were on their way to the border town, Dandong, he said.
"It's hard to determine the border, that which is North Korea or that which is China because it is just frozen river," he said. They may have not even realized they had crossed into North Korea.Their camerman and guide escaped and reported the incident to U.S. officials.
This is a humanatarian issue....not a political one.
Lets hope for their safe return home very soon!
Heres an example of Laura Lings courageous work for Al Gores Current TV.
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