Laura Ling

Laura Ling is a journalist for Current TV and the sister of Oprah correspondent Lisa Ling. Laura Ling and fellow journalist Euna Lee were detained by North Korean soldiers near the border of North Korea and China during a reporting trip on March 17, 2009—purportedly for crossing the border illegally and refusing to stop filming.Reuters: North Korea to put U.S. journalists on trial in June On June 8, 2009, the North Korean regime announced that the pair had been sentenced to 12 years of forced labor.Reuters: North Korea to put U.S. journalists on trial in June (May 13, 2009)CNN: Reporters get 12-year terms in N. Korea

Ling and Lee were released from captivity on August 5, 2009, after former President Bill Clinton paid a diplomatic visit to North Korea to seek their release.Sun-times: Clinton-Gore team up again. Imprisoned journalists Ling, Lee back in U.S. (August 5, 2009) They shared the story of their captivity with the Los Angeles Times on September 1, 2009.LAT: Hostages of the Hermit Kingdom (September 1, 2009)

• Born: August 30, 1973
• Birthplace: Sacramento, California
• Current residence: Los Angeles
• Married Oncologist Paul Song on May 26, 2007
• Was a reporter on Channel One News
• Went on assignments to Iraq and Afghanistan with Channel One News
• Was a special correspondent for CNN
• Was featured in the second installment of CNN's documentary Planet in Peril
• Was a special correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show
• 1999-2002 : Was a co-host on The View
• 2001: Completed the Boston Marathon
• 2008: Graduation speaker at Quinnipiac University
• College: University of Southern California
• Dated actor Rick Yune
• Was engaged to Philip Levine
• Was a host on the teen magazine show Scratch

CNN reported on June 2, 2009, that the families of the reporters made public pleas for their release just days before the start of their trial on June 2nd. Laura's sister, Lisa, said of their efforts "We just felt like it was time for us to talk publicly and try and encourage our two governments to try to communicate, to try and bring our situation to a resolution on humanitarian grounds."CNN: Families plead for detained journalists’ release (June 2, 2009)