North Korea’s communist dictator Kim Jong il has been in
the world news a lot this year, for test firing nuclear warhead
missiles against the requests of much of the world, for
threatening to bomb South Korea and the United States, and,
recently, when it was discovered that the security invasion that
hacked in to the FBI’s computer system was most likely done
by, you guessed it, North Korea. But as even all of these
insanities didn’t seem enough to wake up much of the world,
it took the kidnapping of two young American journalists by North
Korea several months ago to jolt many in to the realization that
North Korea’s government needs dealt with.
Two young Asian American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee,
investigating human rights, were sentenced to 12 years of hard
labor in North Korea's slave labor camp because North Korea does
not allow freedom of speech or the press.
it is estimated that nearly 200,000 or more political prisoners
may be held in North Korea’s six labor camps. That means,
thousands upon thousands of people are being enslaved for merely
speaking out against the tyrannical system they are forced to
live under. Hundreds of thousands of other slave laborers are
thought to have perished inside the mountain camps of North
Korea.
David Hawk, senior adviser for the U.S. Committee for Human
Rights in North Korea, said prisoners in the country's
forced-labor camps work up to 15 hours a day and up to 29 days a
month. They subsist primarily on corn and salt and are under
constant threat of being executed. Thanks to the actions of
former President Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and others through
political pressure in The United States, these two brave young
journalists, Laura and Euna were freed last month, after over 100
days of confinement. We share with you here an abridged letter
Laura wrote to world after their release:
While in detention in North Korea, isolated and scared, one of
the things that gave me strength and sustained my faith was
hearing about the groundswell of support for Euna and me. You
were a part of this incredible movement and for that I will be
forever thankful. In times of extreme darkness and depression, I
thought of all of the people, united together, sending us
messages of love and hope. I envisioned the light of the candles
at the vigils and it brightened my soul.
I would not be here today, home and free, re-united with my
family (my sister is actually asleep on the couch right by my
side), if not for the support from so many extraordinary people.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Words cannot
adequately express my profound gratitude.
I’d like to share with you an entry from my journal that I
kept during my time in captivity:
Thursday, June 11, 2009 Day 87, 3:00 PM
“I’ve been so overwhelmed and touched by the outpouring of support from so many people. Loved ones, friends, people I haven’t been in contact with in ages, and even total strangers. It makes you have faith in humanity. I hope that I would be as good of a friend or human to someone else in a similar situation.”
Euna and I are two of the lucky ones whose story of captivity
resulted in a happy ending. But there are so many journalists
imprisoned around the world whose fate is still undecided. It is
my sincere hope that the energy ignited around bringing us home
will be harnessed into raising awareness around these fellow
journalists and their struggle for freedom.
With all my love and gratitude,
Laura