North Korea has ordered the release of the two American journalists detained since May following former President Bill Clinton’s meeting Tuesday with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
According to North Korea’s state news agency, the two journalists – Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36 – were pardoned after being visited by the former president.
Clinton supplied Kim with a verbal message from President Barack Obama shortly after landing in Pyongyang. The report said Clinton’s message was “courteously” conveyed.
Kim and the former president then sat down for what the state media described as a “wide-ranging exchange of views.”
Following his meeting with Kim, Clinton spoke in person to the according to ABC News, which cited a government source.
The source told ABC that the journalists may leave North Korea with Clinton soon.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement emailed soon after Clinton’s landing Tuesday that the Obama administration will not be commenting on the situation during the former president’s visit.
“While this solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment,” Gibbs said. “We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton's mission.”
Gibbs added later during the daily press briefing that the situation in North Korea remains a “sensitive topic.”
State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood followed Gibbs’ lead Tuesday, telling reporters that “the White House statement spoke for itself, and at this point I don't have anything further on it, so you might want to save your questions.”
Ling and Lee were captured on March 17 after venturing across the border from South Korea while reporting a story for Current TV, a San Francisco-based cable network. The two were later sentenced to 12 years of labor.
A Washington source said the Clinton trip came about after North Korean officials told relatives that the government would release the women to the former president. The families then approached Clinton.
The source told POLITICO that the White House approved the mission, which has been secretly planned for weeks.
The delicate journey comes amid increasing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, which continues to pursue and test nuclear capabilities.
Clinton was accompanied to North Korea by his former chief of staff, John Podesta, who more recently headed Obama’s transition team.
Photos released by state media also show longtime Clinton aide Doug Band with the former president in Pyongyang. - Politico
The scary part in this whole thing is what items were negotiated? There is no talk about what we gave in return for their release.
You can bet that they didn't just release the Journalist out of the goodness of their hearts.
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