North Korea has detained two US journalists who entered the country without permission, raising tension in a relationship that is already strained as Pyongyang prepares to launch a long-range missile.
North Korean border guards detained the US citizens, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, on Tuesday after they crossed the river Tumen, the border between China and North Korea. Ms Ling, a Chinese-American, and Ms Lee, a Korean-American, were working on a documentary for Current TV, a San Francisco-based internet channel founded by Al Gore, the former US vice- president.
A senior US official said border guards took the journalists “into custody on the Tumen river”. A person familiar with the situation said the women reportedly crossed the frozen river and spent time in North Korea. Guards detained the reporters as they tried to return to China.