The Magic Touch

The visit of former US President Bill Clinton to North Korea to free two American journalist can be called a resounding success.

South Korean demonstration in support of the
release of the US journalists (EPA photo).

The Associated Press, quoting North Korean official sources, reports that that country's leader Kim Jong Il issued a pardon to free Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were arrested on March 17 while they were trying to cross into North Korea from China without the proper visa permits.

The Associated Press via The Huffington Post:

State media said Clinton apologized on behalf of the women and relayed President Barack Obama's gratitude. The report said the visit would "contribute to deepening the understanding" between North Korea and the U.S.

U.S. officials said there was no indication that Clinton's private plane has departed Pyongyang, despite a report by KCNA that it had left. The U.S. officials, who described the sensitive schedule on condition of anonymity, said Clinton's mission was expected to wrap up in the early morning in Pyongyang -- early evening EDT -- and that he hoped to bring the two journalists with him.

While the White House emphasized the private nature of Clinton's trip, his landmark visit to Pyongyang to free the Americans was a coup that came at a time of heightened tensions over North Korea's nuclear program.

The meeting also appeared aimed at dispelling persistent questions about the health of the authoritarian North Korean leader, who was said to be suffering from chronic diabetes and heart disease before the reported stroke.

The arrests took place while the two journalists and their TV crew were filming a story about North Korean defectors, but their curiosity was stronger than their common sense and ended up in a Pyongyang prison. Ever since, their network, a creation of former US Vice President Al Gore, has been lobbying the US State Department to negotiate their release.

They both were sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor.