# North Korea: American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are sentenced to hard labor

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 3 sources.

Status: historical, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The source reviewed does not describe the specific reporting the two journalists were doing at the moment of their arrest.

A North Korean court sentenced Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee to twenty years of "reform through hard labor" after their arrest for crossing the border from China without authorization, and both were released months later following a visit by former President Bill Clinton.[1][2][3]

- Country: [North Korea](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/kp)
- Where: KP
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Secrets and espionage laws
- Stage: Eliminate (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/secrets_and_espionage_laws#stage-eliminate)
- Ladder note: Two foreign journalists received a twenty-year hard-labor sentence for a border charge, resolved only by a former head of state's personal visit to the country's leader.
- Head of government at the time: [Kim Jong Il](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/kim-jong-il)
- Issue of the day: Ling and Lee had been reporting near the China-North Korea border for the American outlet Current TV when they were detained by North Korean border guards in March 2009.
- Outcome: Reversed, August 4, 2009. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned Ling and Lee after former President Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang to secure their release.
- Era: The 2000s

## What happened

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, journalists for the American outlet Current TV, were arrested on March 17, 2009, and charged with crossing the border from China into North Korea without authorization. A North Korean court sentenced them to twenty years of "reform through hard labor." The two women were held separately from each other in a combination guesthouse and government-run hotel outside Pyongyang; both later said they had been psychologically distressed during their detention but were not physically abused. Their roughly five-month ordeal ended in June 2009 when former President Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who granted the pardons that let Ling and Lee return to the United States.[1][2][3]

Ling and Lee were pardoned and released in June 2009 after roughly five months in detention.[3]

## What reason was given

North Korean authorities charged Ling and Lee with crossing the border from China without authorization on March 17, the specific basis stated for their arrest and trial.[1][2][3]

## What changed for reporting

Two American journalists received a twenty-year hard-labor sentence for a border-crossing charge while reporting near North Korea's frontier, and their release required a former president's personal diplomatic visit rather than any legal appeal.[1][2][3]

## Timeline

- 2009-06-08: North Korea: American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are sentenced to hard labor

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Kim Jong Il](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/kim-jong-il) | ordered | Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Current TV](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/current-tv) | outlet | affected |
| [Euna Lee](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/euna-lee) | journalist, Current TV | affected |
| [Laura Ling](https://thewaronnews.com/journalists/laura-ling) | journalist, Current TV | affected |

## Sources

1. Attacks on the Press 2009: North Korea. https://cpj.org/2010/02/attacks-on-the-press-2009-north-korea/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2010-02-16).
2. Today in History: June 8. https://apnews.com/today-in-history/june-8 (Associated Press, 2022-06-08).
3. US detainees freed by North Korea. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-22379241 (BBC, 2014-11-08).

## Claims cited

[1] Ling and Lee were charged with illegally crossing the border from China on March 17, 2009. Quote: "Charged with illegally crossing the border from China on March 17" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2010-02-16. Attacks on the Press 2009: North Korea. https://cpj.org/2010/02/attacks-on-the-press-2009-north-korea/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/599, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] A North Korean court sentenced the two journalists to twenty years of reform through hard labor. Quote: "sentenced to 20 years of 'reform through hard labor'" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2010-02-16. Attacks on the Press 2009: North Korea. https://cpj.org/2010/02/attacks-on-the-press-2009-north-korea/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/600, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Ling and Lee returned to the United States after Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang and Kim Jong Il granted the pardons. Quote: "returned to the United States after former President Bill Clinton traveled to Pyongyang to escort them home following behind-the-scenes negotiations" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2010-02-16. Attacks on the Press 2009: North Korea. https://cpj.org/2010/02/attacks-on-the-press-2009-north-korea/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/601, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2009-north-korea-ling-lee-sentenced. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.