I guess it’s time to send Bill Clinton to North Korea again.
Last year, Clinton traveled to Pyongyang to secure the release of two American journalists who had wandered onto North Korean territory. I’ve always regarded Clinton as a great diplomat, and that incident certainly reinforced that perception.
Two more Americans now appear to have crossed the Chinese border over to North Korea, illegally. Wonder who we should send this time to negotiate for their release?
I don’t know why these people can’t keep out of that territory when they know full well that they’re not wanted there, and face over a decade of hard labor as their punishment, if captured. The United States do not have an embassy in North Korea, and have to conduct their diplomatic business through the Swedes. Each time we have to go there to try and bail out some hapless missionary or journalist, it’s a lot of time, energy, and money spent on an attempt at a diplomatic exchange with an aggressive nation with which we’re not on very good terms to begin with.
I do understand that there is probably a great deal of need for humanitarian assistance in North Korea, and around its Chinese border. Similarly, unfiltered news from this region undoubtedly depend on courageous journalists to enter areas where they may not always be welcome. However, I’d like to see these missionaries and journalists try and acquire access through legitimate, diplomatic means. This country, just like all others, has laws, and is keen on enforcing them.
I just don’t think we can keep sending Bill Clinton there every time someone decides to disregard those laws, no matter how gallant their reason for doing so may be.
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Mika Salakka is a Finn living in the United States. He is a nursing assistant, a creative writer, a devoted husband, and an observer of the human condition. His interests range from music and literature to psychology, sociology, medicine, technology, and spirituality.
