From The BBC: Bill Clinton In North Korea To Aid In The Release Of Laura Ling and Euna Lee

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

So I was checking into the BBC and on their front page is a headline which should hopefully help Laura Ling and Euna Lee get out of North Korea, and while there's definitely been some great support for the two, this visit might be just what the situation needs.

Bill Clinton on N Korea mission

Former US President Bill Clinton has arrived in North Korea on a surprise visit, apparently to discuss the fate of two jailed US reporters.

He is the highest-profile American to visit since his own secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, went there in 2000.

No official reason for his trip has been given, but analysts say he will try to free Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were recently jailed for 12 years.

He may also try to ease the deadlock over the North's nuclear ambitions.

The last visit to North Korea by a former American president - Jimmy Carter in 1994 - led to an important step forward in nuclear negotiations during an otherwise tense period.

Tensions are also high now. In addition to the reporters' detention, North Korea has recently conducted a string of nuclear and missile tests in defiance of repeated calls from the UN Security Council.