Euna Lee, left, and Laura Ling, second from right, two American journalists who were arrested in March after allegedly crossing into North Korea from China, are greeted by Michael Saldate, the husband of Euna Lee, center, Ian Clayton, the husband of Laura Ling, right, and Lee's daughter, Hana, after the two arrived at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
USA Today
Two American journalists freed by North Korea returned home to the United States on Wednesday for a jubilant, emotional reunion with family members and friends they hadn't seen in nearly five months.
The jet carrying Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV, and former president Bill Clinton arrived at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport at dawn. Clinton met with communist leader Kim Jong Il on Tuesday to secure the women's release.
Lee emerged from the jetliner first and was greeted by husband Michael Saldage and 4-year-old daughter Hanna. She hugged the girl and picked her up before all three embraced in a crushing hug.
Ling embraced her husband Iain Clayton as teary family members crowded around.
Thirty hours ago, Ling said, "We feared that any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp."
Then, she said, they were taken to another location.
"When we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us president Bill Clinton," she said to applause. "We were shocked but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end, and now we stand here, home and free."
In a statement Clinton said "I am very happy that after this long ordeal, Laura Ling and Euna Lee are now home and reunited with their loved ones. When their families, vice president Gore and the White House asked that I undertake this humanitarian mission, I agreed. I share a deep sense of relief with Laura and Euna and their families that they are safely home."
Euna Lee hugs former Vice-President Al Gore
At the airport Gore described the families of the two women as "unbelievable, passionate, involved, committed, innovative."
He also thanked the State Department for its help in the release. "It speaks well of our country that when two American citizens are in harm's way, that so many people will just put things aside and just go to work to make sure that this has had a happy ending," he said.
Ling and Lee were arrested March 17 along the Chinese-North Korean border and sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry and "hostile acts."
The flight out of Pyongyang followed a whirlwind trip for Clinton who arrived in North Korea on Tuesday. But the genesis of the trip began weeks ago. A White House senior administration official said the journalists were told by their captors in mid-July that they would be released if Clinton came to get them.
The official, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to talk on the record, said the journalists told their families of the offer in a phone call and they in turn informed the State Department.
The reclusive regime pardoned and ordered the release of Ling and Lee.
Speaking on the White House lawn just before leaving on a trip to Indiana, President Obama said the administration is "extraordinarily relieved" that the pair has been set free. He said he had spoken to their families once the two were safely aboard a plane out of Pyongyang and said he also spoke with the former president.
Former President Bill Clinton listens to Laura Ling, an American journalist who was arrested in March after allegedly crossing into North Korea from China, after Ling and Euna Lee arrived at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Jae C.Hong)
Obama thanked Clinton and Gore for their work on releasing the two. "We are very pleased with the outcome," Obama said in a brief statement from the White House lawn, before departing for Elkhart, Ind. "All Americans should be grateful."
Some foreign policy analysts hoped that the surprise visit by Clinton could lower tensions in what has been an increasingly tumultuous relationship between the U.S. and North Korea over its nuclear program.
"I think we're certainly going to shift in a better direction than where we've been the past five months," said Joel Wit, a former State Department official under Clinton who worked on nuclear issues with the North.
But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she isn't counting on a breakthrough in relations with the two countries, even though she held out hope the North Koreans would be willing to return to six-party talks about ending that nation?s nuclear program.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said freeing the reporters reflected North Korea's "humanitarian and peace-loving policy."
Lee, 36, and Ling, 32, had been held in a guesthouse, according to University of Georgia political scientist Han Park.
KCNA said Clinton offered Kim "words of sincere apology" for the women's transgressions, and "courteously" conveyed President Obama's gratitude for North Korea's leniency. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denied that Clinton carried a message from Obama to Kim.
Clinton's visit is only the second time a former president went to North Korea. Jimmy Carter traveled there for talks with Kim's father, Kim Il Sung, in 1994. Clinton is the highest-level American to meet with Kim since then-secretary of State Madeleine Albright in October 2000. The two nations do not have diplomatic relations. Contributing: The Associated Press
Finally, "Let me just start by saying thank you all for your love and support. This is a happy day because Laura and Euna are home! Now, Gotham Chopra who blogs on www.intent.com, posted a wonderful Thank You message. I was touched by his words and agree with everything Gotham said but could never say it so eloquently and here it is. Love Shelley Thank You - Laura Ling and Euna Lee Pardoned Posted Tue, 08/04/2009 For the last few months, along with a few committed friends and supporters, I have attempted through blogs and articles to keep attention on the situation regarding my close friend Laura Ling and her colleague Euna Lee who were imprisoned in North Korea for the last 4.5 months. Today because of the efforts of many people including the thousands of activists, supporters, and well-wishers on channels like this one, Laura and Euna were pardoned and are currently on their way home to their families with former President Bill Clinton. On behalf of the many committed advocates for Laura and Euna's safe return home, both those who published blogs and articles on channels like this one and those that supported us and spread the word, I'd like to thank everyone who signed the petition seeking their amnesty, tweeted, commented, or even said a prayer on Laura and Euna's behalf. We - their friends - are very grateful for all of your efforts and ask for your continued thoughts and prayers as the girls return home, reunite with their families, and heal from this unfathomable experience. - Gotham Chopra