Los Angeles, California (CNN) -- On June 8, 2009, nearly one year ago, I stood before a judge in North Korea's Supreme Court and was sentenced to 12 years in one of the country's notoriously brutal labor camps, also known as death camps. My legs wobbled in fear, and I grabbed the podium in front of me, fearing I would faint. Three months earlier, I was on assignment for Current TV. I was reporting on the trafficking of North Koreans, most of them women, who escape to neighboring China, where they are used and exploited. Following a local guide we'd hired, my colleague Euna Lee and I did regretfully step foot into North Korean territory for no more than a minute.
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Laura Ling recalls frightening day she was sentenced for entering North Korea
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During captivity she was forced to watch films praising regime and Kim Jong Il, she says
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Reality in country is harsh (starvation, no human rights) but fleeing to China barely better
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Ling: LiNK group and pending federal legislation give hope to North Korean defectors
Escapees from @placeholder paint a stark picture of a place where human rights don't exist.
The Chinese government does not regard these defectors as refugees, even though they face certain, brutal punishment if they are sent back to @placeholder.