Former U.S. President Bill Clinton left North Korea early Wednesday in the company of two journalists, both of whom were freed hours after he arrived in North Korean Tuesday for a surprise visit with that country's leader, Kim Jong-il in an effort to secure their release.
The Pyongyang government announced that Kim would issue a "special pardon" to free the two Americans, 32-year-old Laura Ling, and 36-year-old Euna Lee, who were arrested by soldiers on March 17 while reporting from the border between North Korea and China. Both women were convicted and sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor for allegedly entering the country illegally and "committing hostilities against the Korean nation."
"Clinton expressed words of sincere apology to Kim Jong Il for the hostile acts committed by the two American journalists against the DPRK (North Korea) after illegally intruding into it," the KCNA state-run news agency reported. "Clinton courteously conveyed to Kim Jong Il an earnest request of the U.S. government to leniently pardon them and send them back home from a humanitarian point of view.
Clinton had arrived early Tuesday morning in an unmarked jet, and had dinner with Kim later in the day.
Analysts said the dinner meeting might also signal North Korea's return to the table for talks with the U.S. over its nuclear development activities. Evidence of North Korean involvement in the construction of a nuclear facility in Syria was discovered prior to a September 6, 2007 attack on the building, which had not yet been completed. Israel was accused of destroying the facility.
North Korea was also ostracized by the international community, and in particular by the United States, following its detonation in May of a large nuclear bomb. U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama was prompted by the action to renew Washington's pledge to defend its Asian allies in the face of any threat by North Korea.
However, Clinton had said his goal was to try and win the release of two American journalists who have been languishing in jail in the southeastern nation.
According to the state-run KCNA news agency, Clinton also passed on a verbal message from U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama. "Kim Jong-il expressed thanks for this (referring to the alleged message -ed.)," reported KCNA. "He welcomed Clinton's visit to [North Korea] and had an exhaustive conversation with him. There was a wide-ranging exchange of views on the matters of common concern."
Washington officials denied the report, insisting that the visit had been a private one. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told journalists in a cautious statement that Clinton's goal had been to win the freedom of the two captive journalists.