Lisa Ling Says Sister Lauras 2009 Capture Was Planned, Perhaps So Kim Jong Il Could Meet Bill Clinton

Journalist Lisa Ling recently discussed her sister Laura's 2009 capture in North Korea during a speaking engagement in Walnut Creek. Ling revealed that the North Korean regime planned the capture from the beginning, using a fixer who misled Laura's team across the border while they filmed a documentary on North Korean defectors. The fixer was allegedly receiving funds from the North Korean government to lure high-profile targets into the country. When North Korean soldiers captured Laura and her colleague Euna Lee, they were held for five months. Ling noted that the regime exploited their detention to arrange a photo-op with former President Bill Clinton, indicating a strategic maneuver to gain political leverage.

"Because Laura's team was working for former Vice President Al Gore's company, you couldn't get a bigger target, right? " Ling stated. The incident illustrates the complex geopolitical games played by North Korea and the lengths to which the regime will go to secure international attention. Ling's account sheds light on the dangers faced by journalists reporting in politically sensitive regions.