U.S. repeats call on N. Korea to free American reporters held for illegal entry

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, June 8 (Yonhap) -- The United States Monday urged North Korea to
release two American journalists sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp for
illegally entering the North while on a reporting tour.

"We call on the North Korean authorities to release the two young ladies, allow
them to be reunited with their families," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly
said in a news briefing. "We're very, very concerned about this sentence. And I
know that Secretary Clinton is very engaged. And we plan to explore all possible
channels, as we have all along."
North Korea earlier in the day said that Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for
the San Francisco-based Internet news outlet Current TV, have been given 12 years
at hard labor for an unspecified "grave crime" and "illegal border crossing."
They were detained by North Korean soldiers along the Chinese border on March 17
while working on a story about North Korean refugees.
Kelly said that the Swedish ambassador in Pyongyang, Mats Foyer, has been
actively engaged on the issue. Foyer represents U.S. interests in North Korea,
which does not have diplomatic relations with Washington.
"He acted very quickly when the charges came down," Kelly said. "He asked for
immediate meetings to try and get clarification on the whole process. So he has
done just a fantastic job."
Foyer has met with the journalists three times, but was denied access to
Thursday's trial.
The spokesman renewed calls that the journalists be released without becoming
pawns in the recent nuclear crisis.
"The whole judicial process has played out now, and we think it's time for them
to be released, just on pure humanitarian grounds," he said.
"That's totally separate from what we're trying to do (at the United Nations) up
in New York and what Deputy (Secretary James) Steinberg was doing with his
delegation in the region last week, where we need to also respond to North
Korea's defiance of the international community," Kelly said. "But I think you're
going to see me be very scrupulous in not trying to make a connection between the
two."
Kelly said that the U.S. has been engaged in active diplomacy to secure the
journalists' release, but would not elaborate.
"I'm just going to keep all of our diplomatic communications private," he said.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday that she had sent a letter to
North Korea to seek the release of the reporters and apologize for their illegal
border crossing.
On the reports that former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, chairman of Current TV,
may fly to North Korea soon to negotiate the release of the journalists, Clinton
said last week, "We have explored other approaches, including the use of special
representatives strictly for this humanitarian mission ... but we know that
they're in the middle of a trial in Pyongyang."
Gore is believed to be the right man for the role once played by New Mexico Gov.
Bill Richardson, who visited Pyongyang as a congressman to successfully negotiate
the release of two Americans in 1994 and 1996.
hdh@yna.co.kr
(END)