Freed journalists land in US after North Korea pardon

LOS ANGELES - Two US journalists freed by North Korea after three months in prison arrived back in the US Wednesday along with former president Bill Clinton.

Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, landed at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport near Los Angeles. Clinton had made an unannounced visit to Pyongyang to secure the release of the journalists. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned the women after meeting with Clinton.

The US had worked behind the scenes to persuade the Stalinist state to free the journalists, avoiding public remarks that could have worsened the situation.

Ling and Lee raised their arms in the air, waving as they exited the plane before they were greeted by their joyous families. Covered live on US television, Lee tearfully hugged her husband and four-year-old daughter.

“The past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching time of out entire lives,” a tearful Ling said in a brief statement to reporters. “We are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of North Korea and we are so happy to be home.”

An emotional Lee described how the two journalists were escorted by North Korean authorities to their meeting with Clinton, unaware that the 42nd president had come to the country.

“We were told that we were going to a meeting,” she said, pausing to fight back tears. “We were taken to a location and when we walked through the doors we saw standing before us president Bill Clinton.”

Ling and Lee were arrested in March at the Chinese-North Korean border. They were sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labour after North Korea accused them of illegally crossing its border.

President Barack Obama briefly addressed reporters to thank Clinton and former vice president Al Gore for their tireless efforts to free the journalists. Ling and Lee worked for Current TV, which was founded by Gore.

“The reunion that we’ve all seen on television I think is a source of happiness, not only for the families, but for the entire country,” Obama said.

“Not only is this White House, obviously, extraordinarily happy, but all Americans should be grateful to both former President Clinton and Vice President Gore for their extraordinary work,” he said.