Top 10 Innocents Abroad

Former President Bill Clinton's retrieval of American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee from North Korea captured the world's attention. But hordes of foreigners have gotten themselves into hot water overseas. TIME looks back at 10 memorable incidents

Hospitality Isn't a Strength in the Hermit Kingdom

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Reuters

Journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling are very lucky Bill Clinton's diplomacy skills haven't gotten rusty. On March 17, the reporters, on assignment for Al Gore's Current TV network, crossed over the border into North Korea while filming a report on human-trafficking. Though the two were in the country for "maybe 30 seconds," according to Ling's sister, they were swiftly captured by border guards and soon found themselves sentenced by North Korea's highest court to 12 years of hard labor in a prison camp. Former President Clinton was able to negotiate the duo's release after 140 days in custody.

Read "Freed U.S. Journalists Arrive Home."

Read "Can Clinton Reverse the U.S.–North Korea Downward Spiral of Diplomacy?"

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