Staging a Trial

From the official Korean Central News Agency:

Pyongyang, June 8 -- The Central Court of the DPRK staged a trial of American journalists Laura Ling and Seung-eun Lee from June 4 to 8.

The trial confirmed the grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing as they had already been indicted and sentenced each of them to 12 years of reform through labor. 

"Staged a trial" is about right. It's interesting, too, that they talk of the trial confirming the grave crime, as "they had already been indicted". So the trial was merely a question of handing out the sentences.

I'm curious as to why we haven't heard from the cameraman:

The women had been accompanied by a Chinese guide and an American cameraman, Mitch Koss, who also worked for Current TV, founded by Al Gore, the former US Vice-President.

Mr Koss returned to America after his colleagues' arrest. He has not said whether they crossed the frozen river that marks the frontier, or were lured or abducted to the North Korean side.

I can perhaps see how he might have been told to keep quiet until the trial had taken place - especially if he confirmed what many people suspect: that the women were kidnapped from Chinese territory. It would've put more pressure on the US government to be tough when they might have wanted to try some delicate behind-the-scenes negotiating. But now they've been sentenced, and now we've had the nuclear tests, and Obama's recent hard-line statements, there's surely little reason for him still to remain silent. Is he, or his employer Current TV, negotiating for the best deal for his story, perhaps? Or will Al Gore, quiet till now, take the opportunity to step forward and seize the limelight? 

I'm struck, also, by the extraordinary hostility to these women, in practically every comment thread I've looked at on the subject since they were first seized. Today's Times, for instance:

"Looks like The Peoples Republic Of North Korea got the sentence right for a lenient public relations/ foreign diplomacy move. Shame the North Koreans never shot the two STUPID women for messing around with such a volatile state's internal management system. When in Rome and all that jazz."

"People know the risk when they trespass into countries like NK. If you are prepared to take that risk, you must be prepared to face the consequences. why would you risk imprisonment or death when you have a four year old at home."

"Seems to me Mr. Kim has shown them great compassion and mercy. He might have put them to death, instead he has given them hard labor....albeit 12 years."

"What were they doing in that remote part of the world anyways? was that trip on a tourist map?"

And so on. A strong whiff of good old misogyny in there, I think, to add to the anti-Americanism. 

If you can't summon up any sympathy for two women facing 12 years hard labour in the North Korean gulag, well......head over to Pharyngula, where you can express your horror over the case of a 17-year-old who stuck a kitten in an oven as a "practical joke". 717 comments, to date...

Comments

[DaninVan]

Assuming that, yes, the NK DID cross the river and kidnap these women, where in hell were the SK border guards? I've always been under the illusion that the border area was in effect a No Man's Land of minefields, observation posts and defense positions(?).
How did the women even get close to the border?http://debrisson.free.fr/dmz3.html

[Mick H]

You're thinking of the DMZ between the two Koreas. The two women were arrested/kidnapped on the North Korean border with China.

[maguro]

I'm sure the Times commenters will be equally sympathetic when we toss our next carload of Mexican illegals into a hard-labor camp for 12 years. When in Rome and all that jazz.

[DaninVan]

*smacks head* memo to self: "don't scan news items"!
Am I embarrassed...
However in my own defense, my perception of NK as being culpable in numerous kidnappings still holds.