In South Korea, Freed U.S. Journalists Come Under Harsh Criticism

nyt ^

[maccaca]

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the two American journalists released after nearly five months in North Korean custody, have been widely portrayed at home as victims of unduly harsh punishment by a repressive government for simply doing their job. But here in South Korea, human rights advocates, bloggers and Christian pastors are accusing them of needlessly endangering the very people they tried to cover: North Korean refugees and the activists who help them. The accusations stem from a central fear repeated in newspapers and blogs here: that the notes and videotapes the journalists gathered in China before their ill-fated venture to the border fell into the hands of the authorities, potentially compromising the identities of refugees and activists dedicated to spiriting people out of the North. ... In his blog, Mr. Joo has berated the American reporters, urging them to “shed their martyrdom image.” In a separate interview, Mr. Joo said he was also “disgusted” by the way “some American media are giving them some kind of hero’s welcome home.” “Since their return,” he added, “they haven’t said a peep about the fate of the people they have endangered, though unintentionally.”

[maccaca]

But here in South Korea, where the dangers of the China-North Korea border zone are well known, the American journalists’ venture has been criticized by many as foolhardy.

“We can assume that the journalists’ guide compromised every source,” said Joo Sung-ha, a North Korean defector who works in Seoul as a newspaper reporter.

[gaijin]

I agree. Further, we don’t fully know what the US gave to secure their return, and a healthy dose of the motive for their story in the first place had a strongly feminist bent —why else would Al Gore’s outfit have gone questioning other socialists, in the first place...?

[PaleoBob]

I do not believe these people were legitimate journalists. I think this was all some sort of surreptitious op by which the North Korean security service exposed the underground anti-government forces. And Clinton was just part of the window-dressing.

[aflipflop]

This post has brought up a good point of view.

[lt.america]

I never once felt remorse for them and I would not be surprised if we found that we had to give away the farm to get them back. Additionally, I am will to be that if they had been from the NYP or Wash Times, they could have kissed there a** goodbye. Al Gore.....what a worthless piece of trash.

[Jet Jaguar]

Ping.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Yes, their blundering escapade resulted in significant damages in one form or another. It threw monkey wrench into foreign policy, too.

Morons merrily wandering about or into the real estate of Axis-of-Evil(blundering into N. Korea or Iran.) Almost to the point one can help but wonder if these are all coincidences.