Euna Lee (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...
:유나 리; born 1972) is a Korean American journalist.
While working for
Current TV
Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV. Comcast and DirecTV each held a smal ...
, Lee and fellow journalist
Laura Ling
Laura Ling (born December 1, 1976) is an American journalist and writer. She worked for Current TV as a correspondent and vice president of its Vanguard Journalism Unit, which produced the ''Vanguard'' TV series.
She was the host and reporter ...
were
detained in North Korea after they crossed into the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
from the People's Republic of China without a visa. They were found guilty of illegal entry and sentenced to twelve years'
hard labor in June 2009.
The United States Government protested the sentences, and implemented diplomatic efforts in order to secure the release of both Lee and Ling. On 4 August 2009, Lee and Ling were pardoned by the
North Korean government after a special humanitarian visit by former
U.S. President Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...
. She wrote a book on her experiences in North Korea titled ''The World Is Bigger Now: An American Journalist's Release from Captivity in North Korea ... A Remarkable Story of Faith, Family, and Forgiveness''.
Biography
Lee was born and raised in
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
, and moved to the United States in order to attend
Academy of Art University
The Academy of Art University (AAU or ART U), formerly Academy of Art College and Richard Stephens Academy of Art, is a private for-profit art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded as the Academy of Advertising Art by Richard S. ...
, where she received a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases.
Background
The Bachel ...
degree in Film and Broadcasting. She graduated from the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City.
Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism ...
in 2012. She is married to actor Michael Saldate; they have a daughter, Hana.
On 4 August 2009, Bill Clinton visited North Korea in an attempt to free Lee and fellow journalist Laura Ling. The North Korean government pardoned both Lee and Ling after meeting with Clinton that day.
It is also said that the equipment and materials they used for their interviews were left behind in the North Korea, and that information about defectors and human rights activists who helped them in their interviews was obtained by the North Korean authorities, putting them in danger. Human rights activists in South Korea accused Lee and Ling of placing North Korean refugees in danger through their actions.
Awards and honours
In 2011, Lee and Ling received the McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage from the
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.
See also
*
2009 imprisonment of American journalists by North Korea
On March 17, 2009, North Korean soldiers detained two United States, American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were working for the U.S. Independent business, independent cable television TV network, network Current TV (defunct since Augu ...
*
List of foreign nationals detained in North Korea
This is a list of foreign nationals who have been detained in North Korea. Excluded from the list are any persons who were detained while on active military duty and held as prisoners of war or military defectors. Also excluded are people abduct ...
*
Han Park
Han Park is a professor at the University of Georgia in the United States.
He has acted as an unofficial negotiator between the United States and North Korea.
He was born in the Republic of China in an area now controlled by the People's R ...
References
External links
Euna Lee reunite with familyJournalist Euna Lee
at 백지연의 피플Inside
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Euna
1972 births
Living people
American people of Korean descent
North Korea–United States relations
People from Sacramento County, California
Prisoners and detainees of North Korea
South Korean journalists
South Korean women journalists
Current TV people
American people imprisoned abroad
Recipients of North Korean pardons
Academy of Art University alumni
Date of birth missing (living people)
American women television journalists
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alumni