Euna Lee is a Korean-American journalist who was sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea with her associate, Laura Ling, for illegal entry and "hostile acts." Their sentence of "12 years of reform through labor"—announced by the regime on June 8, 2009—was lifted on August 4, 2009 after former president Bill Clinton pleaded for their release in-person.

Lee and and Ling were detained by North Korean soldiers on March 17, 2009 while reporting close to the border of China and North Korea for the American cable station Current TV.Reporters Without Borders: Two American Journalists Arrested While Filming at the Chinese Border (March 19, 2009) According to North Korea, the pair had refused to quit filming.Reuters: North Korea to put U.S. journalists on trial in June (May 13, 2009) BBC: US reporters face N Korea trial (March 31, 2009) ABC News: Trial for U.S. Journalists Detained in North Korea (March 31, 2009)

Lee and Ling were detained on March 17, 2009, by North Korean forces, according to reports. The U.S. State Department confirmed that they were working together with the Chinese government on the case, but did not immediately confirm the names of the reporters. Two other members of the film crew managed to escape, according to reports.CNN: North Korea detains 2 American journalists (March 19, 2009) The journalists were interviewing North Korean refugees in China. It has not been confirmed on which side of the border the reporters were at the time they were arrested.The New York Times: North Korea Said to Detain U.S. Reporters (March 19, 2009)