*Al Gore* May Visit North Korea For Detained Reporters ("Kowtow Mission" in the Making)

The United States Thursday did not rule out the possibility of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore flying to North Korea to negotiate the release of two American journalists detained for alleged illegal entry while reporting in the area, according to news reports. "This is such a sensitive issue, I'm just not going to go into those kinds of discussions that we may or may not have had," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters when asked about Gore's possible trip to Pyongyang. "The bottom line is that these two young women should be released, but I'm not going to go into any kind of details on what we will or won't do."

Speculation has mounted that Gore could visit the North Korean capital in his capacity as chairman of Current TV, a San Francisco-based Internet news outlet, for which Euna Lee and Laura Ling work.

North Korea said earlier in the day that the trial for the two reporters will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday (Korean time), without elaborating.

Kelly said that he had "seen press reports that the trial has started," but added that the Swedish ambassador in Pyongyang, Mats Foyer, who handles consular affairs involving American citizens in North Korea, was denied access to the trial.

"We were informed through the Swedish ambassador that no observers would be allowed at the trial," the spokesman said. "We don't really know anything about how long it will take. And we continue to call for the release of these two women."

Foyer has met with the journalists three times each since their detention on March 17 on the Chinese border with North Korea.

Lee and Ling face up to 10 years in prison if convicted, as they are under trial for alleged illegal entry and "hostile acts."

Previous detentions of U.S. citizens by North Korea lasted several months before their eventual release.

A U.S. pilot was detained in North Korea in 1994 when his military chopper was shot down after straying across the border, and another American citizen, Evan Hunziker, was apprehended after he swam the Yalu River to North Korea from the Chinese side in 1996.

Bill Richardson, then a U.S. congressman, visited Pyongyang to successfully negotiate their release.

U.S. officials hope the trial signals their early release, just as with American journalist Roxana Saberi, who was set free by Iran weeks ago on a suspended prison term after getting an eight-year sentence for espionage.

미국 녀기자 재판 6월 4일 오후 3시 시작 (조선통신=도꾜)조선중앙통신사는 4일 다음과 같은 보도를 발표하였다. 조선민주주의인민공화국 중앙재판소는 이미 기소된 범죄행위에 따라 미국기자 로라 링과 리승은에 대한 재판을 6월 4일 오후 3시에 시작하게 된다. 주체98(2009)년 6월 4일 평양(끝)

I saw the TV reporter whose Sister is being held by the NorKs. They had some sort of silly vigil on one of those mindless Merideth Viera Recipes and Right Wing Bashing morning shows. Her sister is the poster child for naiveté, skulking around the border in China trying to get some scoop. I mean we didn’t know North Korea was a bad place..did we? I feel bad she was in that position but honey we ain’t going to war over your doofus Sister considering she works for a network which openly roots against the US. The vigil was like bad stereotype straight out of the movie PCU. With the pre-fabricated protest Dixie cup candles, sappy acoustic music and half groomed 20 something metrosexuals wearing scarves and sock hats on a 65 degree morning. Funny I didn’t see all this outrage when PFC Keith Matthew Maupin was kidnapped in Iraq. Hmmmmmmm

these women are no more "journalists" than Michelle Malkin is. They are more or less liberal Democrat social commentators...with a camera No more, no less. From the North Korean side they are quite naturally seen as troublemakers at best, spies and threats at worst. It is a wonder they were not shot. Fact is, they got caught. I remember seeing in particular one of them reporting on drug wars and really pushing the cameramen to get close and take footage of massacred Mexicans sitting in a car, against the wishes of Mexican policemen on hand. One can only guess she was the same kind of "risk taker" up there on the DPRK border in March with her colleagues. IMHO (and I was not there), they should never had gotten that close to North Korean border guards if they knew the true nature of them. You are right; two liberal journalists held by an enemy bent on destroying South Korea and Japan (including US troops in those places) do not take precedent over the security of our allies and our US troops in the region. But they are certainly a cause celibre of household liberals everywhere, who up until now could not give a single fart about North Korea and the realities there for millions of others before Laura and Euna even crossed over into Hell. You can bet your bottom dollar there would be no such Hollywood-type vigil and outcry if this were Michelle Malkin seized, or somebody from Newsmax, or Worldnet Daily or New American or Human Events that was seized up there on the Tumen River.

I hope Conservatives are not dragged into this thing foolishly. While one hopes for their release, they cannot trump US national security or larger geopolitical concerns when it comes to North Korea. Obama better not send Al Gore up there to secretly barter with a price we have in mind which we can NOT afford at this critical time.

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