Former President Bill Clinton has met with Kim Jong Il dictator of North Korea. Four and a half months being detained for supposedly entering the country illegally, have been pardoned. Bill Clinton commanding tremendous respect in N Korea, must have been in negotiations prior to the trip over there. Arrived in an unmarked jet, as a civilian to meet with Jong Il, and escort the two reporters home. After successfully doing so the questions is asked, after months of high profile conflicts of nuclear testing going on in N Korea, is this a sign that they are wanting back in the good graces of the United States government? With some one like Kim Jong Il you may never know until it happens, it is a one man rule and he seems to run the show on his own schedule. With much gratitude that the two women were released and allowed to return home after being sentenced to 12 years of hard labor, we welcome them home.
While it is wonderful that these women have been released, I wonder how much pandering to Kim Jong Il was needed to do so. According to the CNN report of the visit between former President Clinton and Kim Jong Il Clinton ". . . expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong Il for the hostile acts committed by the two American journalists against the DPRK after illegally intruding into it,” I also feel that a pardon was just N Koreas way of saying "thanks for recognizing that we were right, but you can have them back now". Again I am very happy to see these two safely home; it just feels like N. Korea got the best of us on this one
ReplyDeleteThese two employees of Al Gore's "Current" media outlet are brave, beautiful, and smart. I admire their courage and determination to shed light on the atrocities of North Korea. If they were my daughters, or my sisters, or one of them was my wife, I would have moved heaven and earth to get them home. It sickens me that the U.S. had to send Bill Clinton to feed the ego of Mr. Il. It feels like caving to the demands of a hostage taking lunatic and that's a policy that will lead to further opportunistic kidnappings. With that said and now that the deed is done, I'm happy they are home. I would recommend greater caution when sending employees into the most lunatic corners of the earth.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy these women were released, how frightening to be held prisoner in a foreign country where you're not familiar with the law, especially when the law seems unclear or taylored to each situation. Bravo to our nation for recognizing each citizen as valuable and worth rescuing.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that after all of this comes during a time when the United Nations has been keeping a closer eye on North Korean's nuclear testing. The United States has played a major role in stalling their nuclear progression. I wonder what the statement "The DPRK visit of Clinton and his party will contribute to deepening the understanding between the DPRK and the U.S. and building the bilateral confidence" means exactly. Is this a veiled threat? Or is this a sincere attempt at trying to form a better understanding between our countries. Either way, I do think more went on behind closed doors between Clinton and Il than just an apology.