Euna Lee (리 유나)
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| Born | 1972 (age 51–52)[1]
South Korea
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Notable credit | Current TV |
| Spouse | Michael Saldate |
| Children | 1 |
Euna Lee (Korean: 리 유나; born 1972) is a Korean American journalist.[2] While working for Current TV, Lee and fellow journalist Laura Ling were detained in North Korea after they crossed into the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from the People's Republic of China without a visa in March 2009. They were found guilty of illegal entry and sentenced to twelve years' hard labor in June 2009.[3][4] The United States Government protested the sentences and implemented diplomatic efforts in order to secure the release of both Lee and Ling.[5] On August 4, 2009, Lee and Ling were pardoned by the North Korean government after a special humanitarian visit by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. She wrote a book on her experiences in North Korea titled The World Is Bigger Now: An American Journalist's Release from Captivity in North Korea ... A Remarkable Story of Faith, Family, and Forgiveness.[6]
Lee was born and raised in South Korea, and moved to the United States in order to attend Academy of Art University,[7] where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Film and Broadcasting. She graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2012.[8] She is married to actor Michael Saldate; they have a daughter, Hana.[9]
On August 4, 2009, Bill Clinton visited North Korea in an attempt to free Lee and fellow journalist Laura Ling. The North Korean government pardoned both Lee and Ling after meeting with Clinton that day.[10][11] It was also said that the equipment and materials they used for their interviews were left behind in North Korea and that information about defectors and human rights activists who helped them in their interviews was obtained by the North Korean authorities, putting them in danger.[12] Human rights activists in South Korea accused Lee and Ling of placing North Korean refugees in danger through their actions.[13]
In 2011, Lee and Ling received the McGill Medal for Journalistic Courage from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.[14]
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