Since Euna Lee and Laura Ling's dramatic return to the United States, after being held in a North Korean prison for 140 days, a few details are starting to trickle out about their ordeal. Lisa Ling has been giving interviews, but she's inclined to let her sister tell the full story when she's ready.
No doubt, we'll eventually get to hear it all. What's noteworthy is that we now know that the two did cross over into North Korean territory, briefly -- "maybe 30 seconds." Until Thursday, it was unclear whether they had actually crossed the border into North Korea or had simply been captured on the Chinese side.
One thing's for sure: nearly four months in North Korean captivity does a number on your soul, and it's going to take some effort to adjust to being back home:
In her short time home, Ms. Ling has been racked by a fear of being alone. On Wednesday, exhausted from her ordeal, Ms. Ling wanted to take a brief nap but pleaded for her sister to be there when she woke up, her sister said. She added that her sister's colleague, Ms. Lee, has also been trying to adjust to her new life at home with her family.Couple of things about their captivity. The two women rarely saw each other. Laura read a lot of books and walked around her room for exercise for hours a day. Bathing was difficult because there was no hot water, and she was monitored 24 hours a day by North Korean guards who did not speak English.
"I hear that Euna's 4-year old daughter does not want her to leave her sight," Ms. Ling said. "She keeps following her from room to room."
It probably goes without saying, but the food in a North Korean prison sucks. They ate three small meals a day that consisted primarily of rice with rocks mixed in, small vegetables, and fragments of fried fish. So... the first dinner they ate when they got back to America: pizza.
