North Korea Admits To Kidnapping Two Americans?

The circumstances under which two American journalists came to be held by North Korea remains suspicious, but a South Korean report indicates that the North Koreans kidnapped the two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, from the poorly marked Chinese-North Korean border after North Korean troops warned the two to stop taking video of the border.

According to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the journalists were seized by armed North Korean soldiers as they crossed the frozen Tumen River on the country's far northeastern border with China.

They are likely being held in Pyongyang, the country's capital, where they will be interrogated, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

While North Korea accused them of crossing into its territory, other reports have said the women were snatched on the Chinese side after ignoring the soldiers' demand that they stop shooting video footage.

The border between the two countries is long and porous and poorly marked.

This isn't the first time that the North Koreans have acted rashly and sought to precipitate an international incident. China has long backed the North Koreans, and regularly sends back those North Koreans attempting to flee the destitute and morally bankrupt North Korean regime.

I don't quite get the rationale for taking Ling and Lee, since the video would not have caused nearly the stir and outrage that North Korea's kidnapping would for shooting that video and claims that they illegally entered the country, unless this was an intent to test President Obama to see how he handles the situation.