The American award-winning journalist and author Laura Ling is well-known for her memoir that documents her time held captive in North Korea.

Having previously worked extensively with the broadcast network E!, Ling hosted a number of documentary series including Vanguard, E! Investigates and Society X with Laura Ling. All of which highlighted hard-hitting topics including women’s rights, slave labour and teen suicide. She is now the host of the podcast Everyday Bravery and Discovery Digital Networks series The Power of Kindness which has enjoyed millions of online views. In 2009 during her time reporting on women trafficking in North Korea, both Ling and her fellow journalist colleague were arrested and held captive in the country for 140 days. It was not until form President Bill Clinton flew to North Korea, that the pair were granted a special pardon and allowed to return home to the US. In Her 2010 memoir Somewhere Inside: One Sister’s Captivity in North Korea and the Other’s Fight to Bring Her Home, Ling writes about her harrowing experience.

With her work having since appeared on NBC and ABC Nightline, Ling has been awarded numerous accolades including several Emmy nominations and an Alfred I. DuPont Award. She was also named in Glamour Magazines 2009 Women of the Year feature. Of her charitable work, Ling is a Service Ambassador for the non-profit organisation Points of Light, which aims to engage people in voluntary service to help solve social problems across the country.