Two American journalists, having been arrested for illegal entry into North Korea, were sentenced to twelve years hard labor before being pardoned two months later.

2009 imprisonment of American journalists by North Korea

US–North Korea diplomatic standoff

On March 17, 2009, North Korean soldiers detained two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were working for the American-based independent television station Current TV, after they crossed into North Korea from China without a visa. They were found guilty of…