By John M. Glionna and Paul Richter , Tribune Newspapers|August 05, 2009
North Korea's surprise "special pardon" of two American television journalists may have reopened the channels of communication between the Obama administration and the secretive regime that for years has defied the world with its nuclear tests and political bombast.
After a whirlwind 24-hour visit that capped months of quiet diplomatic negotiations, former President Bill Clinton left Pyongyang on a private jet with the reporters today following talks with leader Kim Jong Il, according to North Korea's state news media.
The women, dressed in short-sleeve shirts and jeans, appeared healthy as they climbed the steps to the plane and shook hands with Clinton before getting into the jet, video footage in Pyongyang showed. Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna said the flight was bound for Los Angeles, where the journalists will be reunited with their families.
The Central Korean News Agency reported that Clinton "expressed thanks [for the pardon] and delivered an oral message from Barack Obama on improving relations between the two countries." It added that Clinton "delivered a sincere request from the U.S. government for a pardon and return [of the two journalists] from a humanitarian aspect."
Clinton's landmark trip also resulted in rare talks with the reclusive Kim that state-run media described as "wide-ranging" and "exhaustive." The meeting was Kim's first with a prominent Western figure since reportedly suffering a stroke nearly a year ago.
Democratic lawmakers heaped praise on the White House, even while White House officials continued to insist that they had no hand in Clinton's apparent success.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee were on assignment for San Francisco-based Current TV in March when they were arrested by North Korean border guards and later sentenced to 12 years in prison for illegally entering the country.
They were arrested as they reported about the trafficking of women. It's unclear if they strayed into the North or were grabbed by aggressive border guards who crossed into China but recent statements suggested they admitted to deliberately crossing into the country.
Reached at her home in Los Angeles, Ling's sister, Lisa Ling, said the extended families of both reporters were together Tuesday and were keeping in close contact with U.S. State Department officials regarding Clinton's progress.
