Laura Ling
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| Laura Ling | |
|---|---|
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| Born | December 1, 1976 Carmichael, CA, United States |
| Charge(s) | illegal entry into North Korea |
| Penalty | 12 years in a labor camp |
| Status | Pardoned by Kim Jong-il |
| Occupation | journalist |
| Spouse | Iain Clayton[1] |
| Parents | Mary Ling, Doug Ling |
| Ethnicity | Chinese American[2][3] | |
| Notable credit(s) | Channel One News, MTV, Current TV | |
Laura G. Ling (Chinese: 凌志美; pinyin: Líng Zhìměi[4]) (born December 1, 1976[5][6]) is an American journalist, working for Current TV as a correspondent and vice president of its Vanguard Journalism Unit. She is the sister of Lisa Ling, who is a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer, and CNN. Ling and fellow journalist Euna Lee were detained in North Korea after they allegedly crossed into North Korea from the People's Republic of China without a visa. They were subsequently pardoned after former US President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-il.[7][8]
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[edit] Life and career
Ling was raised in Sacramento, CA by her parents Doug and Mary Ling,[9] who later divorced when her sister, Lisa, was age 7.[10] She studied at Del Campo High School in Fair Oaks, California and graduated with a communications degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1998.[11] Her career as a journalist began when she became a producer at Channel One News, then a documentary series for MTV. Afterward, Ling joined Current TV, where she reported on issues about Cuba, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, the West Bank, and the Amazon River, as well as about shantytowns in Sao Paulo, Brazil, gangs and homeless teens in Los Angeles, and underground churches in China. Prior to her detention, she had been reporting about the Mexican Drug War.[12][13]
[edit] 2009 detention in North Korea
In the last week of March, 2009, North Korea announced that two American journalists were detained and would be indicted and tried for illegally entering the country. On May 3, 2009, it was officially announced that Ling and fellow journalist Euna Lee were the journalists that had been detained, after they attempted to film refugees along the border with China.[14] In June 2009, they were sentenced to 12 years in a labor prison for illegal entry into North Korea, and unspecified hostile acts.[15][16] Many in the media called it a show trial.[17] The United States government made diplomatic efforts to oppose this sentence before their release in August 2009.[18]
Lisa Ling stated that when they left the United States, her sister and Lee never intended to cross into North Korea. She has also revealed that her sister requires medical treatment for an ulcer she is currently suffering from.[19]
Ling was pardoned along with Euna Lee, and they have both returned to the United States following an unannounced visit to North Korea by former US President Bill Clinton on August 4, 2009.[8][20]
[edit] References
- ^ McKinley, Jesse. "Two Paths, Same Fate for Reporters Facing Prison", The New York Times, June 9, 2009. Accessed June 11, 2009. ‘In a June 1 interview on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” Ms. Ling’s husband, Iain Clayton, read a letter from his wife.’
- ^ "U.S. Working To Release Imprisoned Journalists", CBS13 News, 2009-06-08, http://cbs13.com/breakingnews/us.journalists.north.2.1035348.html, retrieved on 2009-08-07: "Ling is Chinese-American and a native of California".
- ^ Foster, Peter (2009-04-01), "North Korea: US journalists 'face 10 years hard labour'", The Telegraph, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/5087982/North-Korea-US-journalists-face-10-years-hard-labour.html, retrieved on 2009-08-07: "The two women journalists Euna Lee, a Korean-American, and Laura Ling, a Chinese-American, were arrested two weeks ago" ...
- ^ http://www.voanews.com/chinese/w2009-06-09-voa43.cfm
- ^ Date of birth found on the California Birth Index 1905-1995, under LING, LAURA G.
- ^ "Laura Ling's Father: 'I Worry Quite A Bit'". KCRA-TV. 2009-03-19. http://www.kcra.com/news/18967738/detail.html. Retrieved on 2009-06-11.
- ^ "North Korea pardons US reporters". BBC News. 2009-08-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8184583.stm. Retrieved on 2009-08-04.
- ^ a b "N. Korean leader reportedly pardons U.S. journalists". CNN. 4 August 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/08/04/nkorea.clinton/index.html. Retrieved on 5 August 2009.
- ^ Taub, Daniel (2009-08-06), "Journalists arrive in U.S. following imprisonment", Bloomberg News, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=adchKOx6G7iY, retrieved on 2009-08-07
- ^ http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2008/apr/04/journalist_ling_shares_her_own_story/
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/us/10hostages.html
- ^ http://blogs.courant.com/roger_catlin_tv_eye/2009/06/the-dangerous-places-of-laura.html
- ^ http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-korea-ling-lee11-2009jun11,0,7875895.story
- ^ Michael Y. Park (2009-03-23). "Lisa Ling's Sister Arrested in North Korea". People. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20267259,00.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-23.
- ^ "Reporters get 12-year terms in N. Korea", CNN, June 8, 2009
- ^ "North Korea jails US journalists". BBC News. 2009-06-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8088601.stm. Retrieved on 2009-06-08.
- ^ http://open.salon.com/blog/newscycle/2009/05/31/euna_lee_and_laura_lings_trial_in_north_korea_gets_some_media_attention_at_last
- ^ "U.S. Fighting North Korea Labor Camp Sentence for Laura Ling, Euna Lee", by KATIE BOSLAND, SARAH NETTER and KATIE HINMAN, ABC News, June 8, 2009
- ^ Huffington Post, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/08/laura-ling-euna-lee-us-jo_n_212389.html.
- ^ "North Korea: 2 US journalists pardoned". Associated Press. 4 August 2009. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hM96sRn69bkN1XDLqb2_pkmFxqdgD99S8VAO0. Retrieved on 5 August 2009.
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