North Korean leader Kim Jong Il has pardoned two jailed American journalists and ordered their release following an unannounced meeting with former President Bill Clinton, the North's state media said early Wednesday.
In March, Euna Lee and Laura Ling were detained at the North Korean border and later sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea. Celebrities, citizens and politicians called for the two to be freed since the story broke.
Clinton, who arrived in North Korea Tuesday on a surprise visit, met with the reclusive and ailing Kim — the North Korean leader's first meeting with a prominent Western figure since his reported stroke nearly a year ago, MSNBC reported.
Lee and Ling's families released the following statement after the announcement:
The families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee are overjoyed by the news of their pardon. We are so grateful to our government: President Obama, Secretary Clinton and the U.S. State Department for their dedication to and hard work on behalf of American citizens.
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.
For the latest news on the two journalists, go to www.lauraandeuna.com.
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Learn more about Kim Jong Il, North Korea and its policies with Kimjongilia, which is currently screening at DocuWeeks. The doc follows several North Korean defectors as they tell their astonishing stories of starvation, persecution and escape from Democratic People's Republic of Korea.