Former President Clinton says he’s gratified with release of 2 journalists from North Korea

Former President Clinton gratified about release

WASHINGTON — Former President Bill Clinton says he’s “very happy” that a pair of American journalists have been freed from imprisonment in North Korea.

In a statement released from his New York office, Clinton called their plight a “long ordeal,” and said he was gratified that they “are now home and reunited with their loved ones.”

Clinton went to Pyongyang as a private citizen acting as an envoy for the United States to work out a deal to win the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The statement was released as the former president appeared with the pair at a Los Angeles area airport.

The former president said that he shared “a deep sense of relief with Laura and Euna and their families that they are safely home.”