Bill Clinton in N. Korea to Negotiate for Jailed Journalists

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:05:40 PM EST
Tags: Bill Clinton, North Korea (all tags)

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Former President Bill Clinton has arrived in North Korea where he will attempt to negotiate for the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two Current TV reporters jailed and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor.

Will he succeed?

Scott Snyder, a North Korea expert for the nonprofit Asia Foundation, said Clinton's standing as a world statesman carried weight with Pyongyang.
"The North Koreans have a lot of nostalgia for the end of the Clinton administration," he said.

"The question is going to be how could he go to Pyongyang without some assurance that they would be released," Snyder said. "For someone at his level to go without a prior assurance of some kind would be to risk a huge loss of face."

I think he'll do it. He rocks.

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Bill Clinton in N. Korea to Negotiate for Jailed Journalists | 46 comments (46 topical)

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Consensus on TV news (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by gyrfalcon on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:15:06 PM EST

this evening is that the release has been arranged and BC is there to provide a prized status-conferring photo op for the NKoreans.

That's surely true, but I wonder if this "photo op" trip isn't awfully good cover for some other more sub rosa mission to the NKorean government. BC is one of the all-time best natural negotiators on the planet and it would make little sense to waste him by using him for nothing more than a photo op.

It's also interesting that Bill Richardson is shut out of this, given his much vaunted, highly touted (by him) cred with the North Koreans.

Bill Richardson seems like a nice guy, no? (none / 0) (#2)
by Idearc on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:17:17 PM EST

Seems? Yes. Nice guy? No. (5.00 / 2) (#7)
by oldpro on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:40:59 PM EST

Not if you recall the primaries.


He seemed like a nice guy then (none / 0) (#16)
by Idearc on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:53:05 PM EST

I'm sure you remember the New Hampshire debate, he was the only one didn't engage in a firefight.

besides, aren't the primaries over. Bill and Hillary have moved on.


I remember it all...that's the problem. (5.00 / 2) (#21)
by oldpro on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:59:26 PM EST

Yes. The primaries are over but what goes around comes around...especially in politics.


So what did he do, again? (none / 0) (#23)
by Idearc on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:02:06 AM EST

you still haven't told me why you're angry.


Sheesh. Google is your friend. (5.00 / 1) (#30)
by oldpro on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:16:20 AM EST

so's your keyboard (none / 0) (#31)
by Idearc on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:16:55 AM EST

gawd. somebody is embarrassed.


Don't be embarrassed, dear... (5.00 / 1) (#32)
by oldpro on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:23:40 AM EST

Here's an even more recent event to keep in mind when you're reviewing Bill Richardson's bona fides: Obama nominated him for Commerce Secretary but he had to withdraw (remember?) just a few months ago amid a 'pay-to-play' scandal. It's not the only Richardson scandal but I do my own research and let others do theirs if they really, really want to know.


"dear"? (none / 0) (#38)
by Idearc on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:41:16 AM EST

condescending sexism from a clinton die-hard; how ironic.


: Sexism? 'Dear' is sexist? (none / 0) (#41)
by oldpro on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:55:41 AM EST

How could that be? My son, my nieces and nephews and my friends of all sexes are 'dear' to me.
Condescending I'll accept. It's a substitute for namecalling when I move into 'Mom mode,' as in: "Do your homework, dammit!" That usually comes right before I send you kids to your rooms.

What did Bill Richardson ever do (none / 0) (#4)
by Militarytracy on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:34:29 PM EST

to cultivate such cred and deference from North Korea?


Here: (none / 0) (#8)
by oculus on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:42:50 PM EST

Bloomberg


If this says anything about Richardson (none / 0) (#13)
by Militarytracy on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:49:43 PM EST

I missed it. I have had four Hoegaardens tonight. Maybe that has something to do with it :)


Excerpt: (5.00 / 1) (#15)
by oculus on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:52:03 PM EST

Hostages

North Korea has previously held talks over detained U.S. civilians. Evan C. Hunziker, a 26-year-old American, was held in 1996 after he swam across a river into the country from China. He was released after three months when Bill Richardson, now the governor of New Mexico, negotiated his release in Pyongyang.

[Emphasis added for the addled.]


Ah, the Richardson connection is (5.00 / 1) (#20)
by Militarytracy on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:57:36 PM EST

revealed via the undrunk and reading oculus. Well a habit is habit in North Korea and once someone is pronounced free of plague and noteworthy...it is hard to kill off that celebrity in North Korea. Free the journalists Bill and Bill, snap snap!


If it took 3 months (none / 0) (#35)
by CoralGables on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:32:50 AM EST

to get someone released that was dumb enough to swim into North Korea, I can only assume the negotiations were fairly dumbed-down also. Nothing against swimmers, but Evan must have had chlorine on the brain...that or the drugs and alcohol that led to his suicide a month after his release.


: Too much information. (5.00 / 1) (#39)
by oculus on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:46:15 AM EST

It definitely has something to do with (none / 0) (#14)
by Militarytracy on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:50:58 PM EST

rewriting the first four steps :)


Who am I to say boo about any of this? (5.00 / 1) (#3)
by Militarytracy on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:32:27 PM EST

I hope he is successful. Bring them home, and while you are at it it would be nice if they were free to go home. And since imprisonment for being a journalist super sux, perhaps when all is said and done and the cameras are done flashing they could go home.

FWIW (5.00 / 3) (#5)
by gyrfalcon on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:38:33 PM EST

places like N Korea have absolutely no concept of or ability to believe that there is such a thing as an independent journalist who is not a creature of the state. They can't even imagine it. To them, two Americans "posing" as journalists and messing around on their border is not a trivial event. It's a completely paranoid mindset, like what's happened to the idiot hikers who recently wandered into Iranian territory despite having been warned to stay out of the area.

These two journalists are lucky the N.Koreans were ultimately able to figure out they're essentially harmless.

Of course, the U.S. had a long, long history in the depths of the cold war of co-opting journalists and students/scholars as part-time spies, so it's not as if there's no basis for the paranoia.


You are telling this to someone (none / 0) (#10)
by Militarytracy on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:45:02 PM EST

who for a time lived in South Korea. It is just me, but the North Koreans never "found out" that the journalists were essentially harmless, only helpful. And they've always trusted Bill Clinton, I suppose they will again. They are a very "closed" culture. Where does Bill Richardson figure in though? I really want to know.


I'm only guessing, of course, (5.00 / 2) (#18)
by oldpro on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:54:37 PM EST

but I cannot imagine the Sec. of State making Bill Richardson an envoy to anywhere for anything after his behavior during the primaries. If he's going to be rehabbed, I doubt it will be by Hillary...at least, I hope not. I'm with Carville on Richardson...


I'm drunk now (5.00 / 0) (#22)
by Militarytracy on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:59:51 PM EST

I'll use em where ever its beneficial to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.


: Have another on me! n/t (5.00 / 1) (#29)
by oldpro on Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 12:14:20 AM EST

Where the heck is Jimmy Carter? (none / 0) (#6)
by Gerald USN Ret on Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 11:40:01 PM EST

Isn't he making house calls anymore?

And I guess HW didn't feel like going with his buddy either.

My only problem is that Bill Clinton is the husband of the US Secretary of State. I thoug