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March 26, 2009
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| WASHINGTON - Two U.S. journalists detained by North Korea since last week appear to have been charged with espionage, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday. “We’re certainly aware of the charges,” said State Department spokesman Robert Wood, asked to comment on media reports the pair had been charged with spying. “The North has assured us the detainees will be well-treated.” The United States, which does not have a diplomatic presence in North Korea, is trying to resolve the case of the two journalists, who were arrested by North Korean guards at the border with China last week. The two, identified by South Korean media as Euna Lee and Laura Ling, have been moved to the capital Pyongyang and are being interrogated there, the JoongAng Ilbo and the JoongAng Daily reported, quoting intelligence sources. Their arrest came at a time of mounting tension on the Korean Peninsula, with the North accusing the United States and South Korea of aggressive behavior while Pyongyang continued preparations to launch a long-range missile. A senior State Department official who spoke on condition that he not be identified said it had been “communicated” to the United States that the two faced espionage charges, but he declined to give details. Asked why information was so scant on the pair, he said: “We are dealing with a very unpredictable actor.” An American cameraman, Mitch Koss, and a Chinese guide who was with the three were detained by Chinese police, media said. “The male American citizen involved in the case has left China,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters Tuesday. He did not comment on the status of the two reporters in North Korea. A diplomatic source said the two reporters were on the frozen Tumen River, which runs along the eastern portion of the border with China, when they were taken by North Korean security guards. It took three months to secure the release of an American in 1996 after he was detained by North Korean guards when he crossed the Yalu River into North Korea from China. Reuters |
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