Current TV journalist Euna Lee—currently imprisoned in North Korea—summoned the Swedish ambassador to pass on a message to her husband: He must make sure he sent in their daughter's summer school registration form. *Tear.* [via BayNewser]

Hillary Clinton has carefully, publicly sought "amnesty" for Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who have been sentenced to 12-years in a North Korean labor camp. Insane, yes, except it's the best shot at getting the Current journalists back home.

Remember North Korean's deranged little troll leader, Kim Jong Il, the one firing missiles into the Pacific lately like a ten year-old with bottle rockets on New Year's Eve? Well, he's been hacking into American and South Korean government computers!

Kim Jong-Il basically threatened to nuke America Thursday at a massive rally in North Korea.

Japanese intelligence has learned that Kim Jong Il plans to fire a Taepodong rocket at Hawaii, possibly on the 4th of July. Wait, what?!

How does impoverished North Korea afford all those nuclear bombs? It makes money just like the mafia: Insurance fraud and selling counterfeit boner pills.

The free world has been protesting North Korea's 12-year prison sentence of Current journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee as unjust and outrageous. How embarrassing! Now the women have admitted their vile crimes. According to North Korea's official news agency.

Current TV freelancers Laura Ling and Euna Lee are locked in a North Korean prison. Do you know whose fault this is? That's right, the internet's! It's true.

Out of all the celebrities to resemble, North Korean loonmonster Kim Jong Il would not be the first choice of most guys (it would be this guy). But one dude does resemble him, and fooled the world media. Accidentally.

Current TV reporters Laura Ling and Euna Lee are two days into a 12-year North Korean prison sentence. There's not much to do except wait for Al Gore to save them. In the meantime, have you watched their actual journalism?

In your torrential Tuesday media column: No rock-breaking for Current reporters, a new job for Jesse Oxfeld, more Observer layoff victims, ad spending plunges (more), and one more unnecessary Obama book TK:

In what has to be one of the more interesting internet finds in the history of blogging, Webnewser's Hunter Walker has stumbled across an official North Korean CafePress page where you can purchase brutal totalitarian regime-themed mugs, T-shirts, caps, etc.

Laura Ling, the sister of former The View co-host Lisa Ling, and fellow Current TV journalist Euna Lee have been sentenced to twelve years in a labor camp by a North Korean court for crossing that country's border.

Al Gore was at the 92nd St. Y earlier this week, making jokes about drug addicts. Meanwhile, as of this morning, imprisoned Current.TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee - Gore's employees - are facing further hearings in North Korea.

Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee went on trial in North Korea yesterday for vague crimes which could land them both in jail for the next decade. Current's keeping its mouth shut. To the rescue: Al Gore, maybe!:

Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were arrested in North Korea in March, are finally going on trial in the psycho dictatorship today. The one media outlet not covering their case: Current TV.

Former co-host of The View, Lisa Ling, is hitting the press this week for the first time since her sister, Laura (pictured, right) and fellow Current TV journalist Euna Lee were detained by the North Korean government. Their trial's on June 4th, and things aren't looking good.

"North Korea defied international condemnation of its latest nuclear test by firing three short-range missiles off its coast on Tuesday and major powers considered tougher action against the isolated communist state...Pyongyang said the United States was the aggressor, its usual justification for making nuclear arms." [Reuters]

• Kanye West's girlfriend, Amber Rose, shows some skin (and crack) in the the new ad campaign for his Louis Vuitton line of sneakers. [NYM]
• Those empty storefronts in the far West Village? Some people seem to think it's all Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren's fault. [Villager]
• Speaking of Marc, the new Jacobs by Marc Jacobs collection features the work of artists with disabilities and benefits the arts. [Teen Vogue]
• Filene's Basement is now for sale, if you're interested. [Crain's]
• 7 For All Mankind opens its third NYC outpost tomorrow. [Denimology]
• The fashion business may be suffering here, but that's the case in North Korea: Retail outlets in Pyongyang have never been busier, or at least that's what the country's official news agency is reporting today. [Reuters]

In a development that we really would have preferred not to have happened at all, psycho loner nation North Korea has launched a big missile. A big, crazy missile. Oh shit.