This comes at a particularly sensitive time for the Obama administration. They have already protested the upcoming missile launch from North Korea, which Kim insists is a satellite but which the US and Japan believe is a long-range missile test. Japan has threatened to shoot it down if it goes up, and the US has also warned Kim about a military response to the launch. Ling and Lee give Kim an extra bargaining chip, and the media will certainly make it a very public issue.

As the AFP notes, Kim usually coughs up captured Americans with a minimal amount of diplomatic stroking. In this case, though, he can use the two detainees to measure the Obama administration’s toughness. Unless Hillary shows up with a reset button.

More>>>