Al Gore Going to North Korea for Journos- Update

It's now reported that former Vice President Al Gore is going to North Korea to negotiate for the release of two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were taken into custody for illegally crossing the border.


Ling and Lee
The way I see it is that Kim Jong-il is selling and Al Gore is buying.

Kim: "10 million dollars"
Gore: "No. Just 2 million."
Kim: "OK. But you must make public apology."
Gore: "No, no public apology."
Kim: "OK. Then 4 million dollars. And I make nice when you run for President again."
Gore: "Deal."

Afterward, the former Vice President will state that his superior negotiating skills coupled with his gravitas forced Kim Jong-il to back off.

On the other hand, I could be wrong. (h/t CNestor)


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American Journalists Detained by North Korea
[Previous 3/19/09 post]
(Seoul, South Korea) A source reported that two female journalists who were videotaping scenes along the Tumen River have been detained by North Korean border guards.

"It's known that two U.S. reporters have been in the custody of the North Korean army since about two days ago after working near the North Korea-China border,'' a diplomatic source confirmed Thursday.

One of them is identified only as Ming, a Korean-American journalist. Other details have yet to be confirmed.

Both North Korea and the United States remained silent over the detention, leaving observers to speculate that the two sides might be negotiating behind the scenes.

A senior government official said on condition of anonymity that Seoul recognized the detention but is not in a position to do anything about the issue because it involved U.S. citizens.

Foreign ministry spokesman Moon Tae-young said, "Seoul has nothing to say about the reports and has found it unnecessary to confirm the situation.''

Another Seoul official said he believes the detention is an isolated case that would neither improve nor worsen relations between Pyongyang and Washington.

Inexplicably, the mainstream media is either unaware or intentionally ignoring the story.

[Update] MSM now has the story. One source indicates that the journalists work for Al Gore's Current TV and are named Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

South Korean media first reported the detentions early Thursday, with YTN television saying two Americans were arrested near the Tumen River. The Yonhap news agency, citing unidentified diplomatic sources, said North Korean soldiers took them into custody after they ignored orders to stop filming.

Ling and Lee were warned not to go to the border areas. They ignored the warning.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.