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Somewhere Inside, by Laura and Lisa Ling; The World is Bigger Now, by Euna Lee

*This was written about two weeks before the current news about someone crossing the North Korean border broke.*

Awhile back, I watched a Nat Geo documentary about North Korea, where the journalist was Lisa Ling. I found the documentary interesting. I didn't know that she and her sister had written a book about the time that Laura spent in captivity. I was trying to find something to read to put between the entries of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, just so I don’t end up with three weeks straight of writing about the sane books, and I found Somewhere Inside on the random page in Libby.

I find most unknown things to be fascinating and North Korea is no exception. I often find myself thinking, as I do mundane things, that most people, all around the world do the same things, no matter the culture.

I get up in the morning, get dressed and star my day. People all over do variations on the samething

The experience in North Korea is so different from anything I know, but so similar too. Their political system is different, their freedoms much reduced to my western mindset, but there are still people doing the same things we all do.

Connections can still be made.

Somewhere Inside is interesting because the situation the girls found themselves in was so odd. While on a trip to China for a documentary about North Korean defectors, they follow a guide to the frozen river that served as the best crossing. While walking on this river, they briefly cross over into North Korea. Border Gaurds chase down Laura and Euna and drag them into North Korea.

That begins the five month captivity, much of it in the capital city of Pyongyang. During captivity they were subjected to daily interrogations and threatened with long prison sentences, eventually culminating in a trial where both woman were sentenced to 12 years hard labor. This was in part due to the fact that they were coheresed into a confession of wanting to harm the Democatic People's Republic of North Korea.

Eventually, they were released when Bill Clinton was allowed to come and apologize and take them home.

The World is Bigger Now is Euna Lee, the documentary's editor's side of the story. Through most of the captivity, the two woman were held separately. It almost feels as if Euna, originally from South Korea, was treated more harshly, or that could have been her mindset. Laura never thought that they were going to be killed. Euna, however, frequently wondered if they were going to simply kill her.

Somewhere Inside's narritive is split between Laura in her captivity and Lisa doing everything she could in the US, to get her and Euna home.

Both books are inspirational stories Laura and Euna did endure a frightening and traumatizing time in a country whose people are taught that Americans are enemies and want to make their lives worse. During this captivity, both able to make connections with their guards, and their interrogato, and in Laura's case, her interpreter. The young woman who gaurd them like music, and tv, have families, and act silly. Laura's interrogator is a feeling man who doesn't like sending people to prison, and when he feels like he can, is almost brotherly to Laura.

It is important to say, that besides their being held prisoner, and the beating they recived upon being drug nack over the border, (Which I get the feeling was not looked kindly on by people who were tasked to care for them),all the physical hardships that the girls suffer,are suffered by the citizens of the DPRK. The frequent power outages, the cold. They were likely fed better than the average citizen could afford.

This is not to defend the mental torment that was afflicted on to them, its just true.

It shouldn't have happened. They should not have been lead to that area to film, they shouldn't have *asked* to be taken to that area to film, they shouldn't have crossed over, the guards shouldn't have chased them down and they should not have been held. My feeling is that the guide double crossed them.

They showed amazing fortitude during their captivity, even if they, out of fear and not knowing any better, did some not too smart things.

Now, I have to say that what struck me most is the fact that Laura's story in particular shows the amazing privilege of people in the media.

I think that Laura and Euna got out as fast as they did, entirely because of Lisa Ling's connections. Not only did Laura and Euna work for Al Gore's TV network, but Lisa has contacts high up in CNN and other media (Anderson Cooper and Oprah). I mean, shit, she knew someone who knew then sitting President Obama's sister and was able to get a letter to the man himself through that contact.

Now, I don't blame her in the slightest for utilizing those contacts. If it were someone in my family, and I had a way to get the ear of people in the Whitehouse or Hollywood, you better believe I would do it! The point is, if this naive and reckless film crew would have been a group of independent documentarians without connections to the who's who of government and media, would they have been able to get Bill Clinton to fly over there amid nuclear tests and government officials sniping at each other?

I don't know the answer to that, but the cynical side of me has its doubts.

There of course, is a flipside here, if they had. Not been working for a former vice president, and Laura had not been related to someone who was known in North Korea an an enemy, would they have been held held as political bargaining chips? Again, I don't know.

They are interesting books, that made me think.

#books #book blogging 2023 #book #Somewhere Inside #Laura Ling #Lisa Ling #The World is Bigger Now #Euna Lee

(Smooth N Groove Records)

#SoundCloud #music #Smooth N Groove Records #Gen & Ryde #Somewhere Inside #EP

Allure feat Julie Thompson - Somewhere inside (bogdan vix & claudiu adam remix)

Who am I, love?

What am I supposed to be?

#Allure #julie thompson #somewhere inside #classic #remix #bodgan vix & claudiu adam #<3 #uplifting trance #ftw #the feels #asot #armin #anthem

Allure ft. Julie Thompson - Somewhere Inside

#allure #julie thompson #somewhere inside

somewhere inside of me

Who am I, love? What am I supposed to be?

One life alone Oh, somehow it's made for me

What do I do? What can I say? It's nothing new The choice was made

But what if I lose my way? And run right into you Deep inside we'll never be anything other than lonely Tell me what does it take? To breathe it into you Weak inside we'll never be anything other than lonely

One bleeding scar Still feels how it used to feel

It's all so wrong No easy way to believe