Are U.S. Journalists Being Used as Pawns by North Korea?

Source: NPR (KCRW) - To The Point
Journalist: Sara Terry
Original Post: Are US Journalists Being Used as Pawns by North Korea?
Type: Interview

June 9, 2009Click Here to Download and Listen to the Full Program

Are US Journalists Being Used as Pawns by North Korea? (12:07P)

North Korea has sentenced two American television reporters to twelve years in a prison labor camp, prompting an international outcry. The families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee have asked the government of North Korea to show compassion and the US is working for their release, but Pyongyang hasn't shown any signs recently of backing down in its dealings with the West. North Korean nuclear tests and missile firings have increased tensions in the region. What options does President Obama have in dealing with a country that George Bush designated as part of the Axis of Evil? With a new leader in the wings, how are internal issues driving North Korea's actions on the global stage?

Guests:
Bill Powell: Shanghai Bureau Chief, Time magazine
Bob Dietz: Asia Program Coordinator, Committee to Protect Journalists
L. Gordon Flake: Executive Director, Mansfield Foundation
Don Kirk: Seoul Correspondent, Christian Science Monitor
Abe Denmark: Fellow, Center for a New American Security

Related:
Topic(s): Regional Security Challenges, Development and Diplomacy, U.S. National Security and Defense Policy, WMD and Nuclear Proliferation
Project(s): Asia-Pacific Security