Freed reporters head home from North Korea

Two American journalists freed from a North Korean labour camp were heading home today with their families “counting the seconds” until they met.

Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, were pardoned yesterday following a meeting between former US president Bill Clinton and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in the secretive Asian state.

The reporters, who work for former vice president Al Gore’s Current TV, had been serving sentences of 12 years’ “reform through labour” after being convicted of “hostile acts” earlier this year and were flying back to Los Angeles with Mr Clinton today.

Last night their families released a statement on their campaign website, saying: “The families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee are overjoyed by the news of their pardon.

“We especially want to thank President Bill Clinton for taking on such an arduous mission and Vice President Al Gore for his tireless efforts to bring Laura and Euna home.

“We must also thank all the people who have supported our families through this ordeal, it has meant the world to us. We are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms.”

North Korean state media said their release was a sign of the country’s “humanitarian and peace-loving policy” and that Mr Clinton’s visit would “contribute to deepening the understanding” between North Korea and the US.

The report also said Mr Clinton apologised on behalf of the women and relayed President Barack Obama’s gratitude.

Mr Clinton flew into Pyongyang yesterday for his unannounced visit which the US government said was a “private mission”.

Throughout the day, Washington remained tight-lipped over the trip, and dismissed claims the former president had delivered a personal message on behalf of Mr Obama.

In a brief statement, Robert Gibbs, the president’s press secretary said: “While this solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment.

“We do not want to jeopardise the success of former President Clinton’s mission.”

It followed months of tension on the Korean peninsular.

The testing of an underground nuclear device and the firing of rockets by the North earlier this year has led to a growing war of words.

During a bitter exchange, Mr Clinton’s wife, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton was singled out in undiplomatic language.

After accusations from Mrs Clinton that North Korea was behaving like an “unruly teenager” over its nuclear stance, the North’s state media referred to her as a “funny lady”.

It added that the 61-year-old acted sometimes like a primary schoolgirl and sometimes a pensioner going shopping.

Yesterday’s head-to-head with Mr Kim would represent the first such meeting with a high-profile western figure since the ailing North Korean leader reportedly suffered a stroke last year.

The nature of the talks that yielded the release of Ms Lee and Ms Ling has not been disclosed. The White House reiterated today that it saw their detention as a separate issue from other bilateral and regional concerns, in an indication that they were not to be exchanged in any official quid pro quo.

Analysts had speculated that the pair were being held as a negotiation tool by Pyongyang, in a bid to win concessions from Washington.

The two journalists were detained on March 17 while on a reporting trip to China.