North Korea Tries Two American Journalists Today

Euna Lee (left) and Laura Ling have been held in North Korea since March 17. (YONHAP/AFP/Getty Images)

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for Current TV, a San-Francisco-based independent media company founded by Vice President Al Gore, were captured three months ago while filming on the Chinese border with North Korea.

Vigils were held across the country yesterday in New York, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago and Washington DC (though DC was rained out quickly).

If convicted, the journalists could face 10 years in a labor camp. They are accused of illegally entering North Korea from the Tumen River that marks the North Korean border with China.

Chinese-American Laura Ling is the sister of Lisa Ling, a reporter for National Geographic Explorer and CNN.

In recent weeks, the families for the women have spoken out publicly - hoping to appeal directly to leaders in North Korea. This morning, Lisa Ling appeared on CNN saying the women had no intention of crossing into North Korea. She added that if they did, it was accidental, and they are sincerely sorry for it.

That statement differs from an earlier stance that did not specify how the journalists might have come under North Korean authorities.

Vigil organizers across the country also read a letter that Laura Ling wrote to her sister Lisa excerpted here:

When I first got here, I cried so much. Now, I cry less. I try very hard to think about positive things, but sometimes it is hard too. Some days I get to go outside and get some fresh air. In the early evening, I do some stretching. I also sit and meditate. I breathe deeply and think about positive things that have happened in the day. For example, I think “I’m lucky I made it through another day.” I’m lucky my family is working so hard to get me released. I’m thinking about you all constantly and how fortunate I am to have an amazing family. Stay strong and please take care of yourselves. That is my request. Know that I’m thinking of you and dreaming about being reunited with you all again.

All my love,

Laura

News reports seem to uniformly underscore how inconclusive any outcome could be. A Washington Post article reports that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who negotiated the release of an American detained in North Korea a decade ago, expects the reporters to be tried and sentenced in the next few days.

Once that is over, "that's when you start to negotiate, when you start maneuvering," Richardson told the Post.