[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 555 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 555

  Expressing concern for the well-being of journalists Laura Ling and 
Euna Lee and urging the Government of the Democratic People's Republic 
           of Korea to release them on humanitarian grounds.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 17, 2009

 Mr. Schiff submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing concern for the well-being of journalists Laura Ling and 
Euna Lee and urging the Government of the Democratic People's Republic 
           of Korea to release them on humanitarian grounds.

Whereas Laura Ling is a United States journalist who was born in 1976 and 
        graduated with a communications degree from the University of 
        California, Los Angeles, in 1998;
Whereas Ms. Ling joined Channel One as an associate producer in 1999, eventually 
        becoming a producer;
Whereas Ms. Ling is married to Iain Clayton who, along with her other family 
        members, loves and misses her;
Whereas Euna Lee is a journalist who was born in South Korea in 1972 and, after 
        moving to the United States for college, graduated with a Bachelors of 
        Fine Arts in Film and Broadcasting from the Academy of Art University in 
        2001;
Whereas since 2000, Ms. Lee has worked as a film and video editor for several 
        television stations and production companies in the San Francisco Bay 
        area of California;
Whereas Ms. Lee is married to Michael Saldate and is the mother of a four year 
        old daughter, Hannah, both of whom, along with her other family members, 
        love and miss her;
Whereas Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee have been detained by the Democratic People's 
        Republic of Korea since March 2009;
Whereas Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee were tried by the Democratic People's Republic of 
        Korea in a proceeding that began on June 4, 2009;
Whereas, on June 8, 2009, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Ms. Ling 
        and Ms. Lee had been convicted and sentenced to 12 years of hard labor;
Whereas the families of Ms. Lee and Ms. Ling have stated that, if the 
        journalists broke the law, the families apologize; and
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has called upon the Government 
        of North Korea to release the journalists, saying ``We think the 
        imprisonment, trial and sentencing of Laura and Euna should be viewed as 
        a humanitarian matter. We hope that the North Koreans will grant 
        clemency and deport them.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) urges the Government of the Democratic People's 
        Republic of Korea to grant clemency to Laura Ling and Euna Lee 
        and return them to the United States;
            (2) supports efforts by President Barack Obama, Secretary 
        of State Clinton, and others to secure the release of the 
        journalists on humanitarian grounds; and
            (3) urges other nations to encourage North Korea to free 
        Ms. Ling and Ms. Lee on humanitarian grounds and return them to 
        the United States.
                                 <all>