American Journalist glad to be "Home and Free"

story by AP

picture by Robyn Beck / AFP - Getty Images

BURBANK, Calif. - Two American journalists jubilantly reunited with family and friends early Wednesday upon returning to the United States with former President Bill Clinton, whose diplomatic trip to North Korea secured their release nearly five months after their arrests.

The jet carrying Euna Lee and Laura Ling, reporters for Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV, and former President Bill Clinton arrived at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport at dawn. Clinton met with communist leader Kim Jong Il on Tuesday to secure the women's release.

The journalists were arrested near the North Korean-Chinese border in March while on a reporting trip for Current TV.

Lee emerged from the jetliner first and was greeted by husband Michael Saldate and 4-year-old daughter Hana. She hugged the girl and picked her up before all three embraced in a crushing hug as TV networks beamed the poignant moment live.

Ling embraced her husband Iain Clayton as teary family members crowded around.
"The past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching days of our lives," Ling said, her voice cracking.

Thirty hours ago, Ling said, "We feared that any moment we could be sent to a hard labor camp."

Then, she said, they were taken to another location.

"When we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton," she said to applause. "We were shocked but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end, and now we stand here, home and free."

Clinton came down the stairs to applause. He hugged Gore at the foot of the stairs, then chatted with family members.

Obama thanks Clinton, Gore

Obama made no mention of the tense relationship between Washington and the regime headed by Kim Jong Il, and he said that "all Americans should be grateful" to both Clinton and Gore "for their extraordinary work."

Obama also spoke briefly with the former president, and expressed his gratitude for Clinton's service. He said he expects to meet with Clinton to discuss what transpired during his high-level meeting with Kim as a private envoy representing the United States.

"I suspect that President Clinton will have some interesting observations from his trip," Obama said in an interview on MSNBC television.

Obama said Clinton was on a strictly humanitarian mission.

When asked whether the release of the journalists could lead to a breakthrough on other issues like North Korea's nuclear program, Obama said that would depend on the actions of the communist regime.

"We just want to make sure the government of North Korea is operating within the basic rules of the international community," Obama said.