Kim Jong Il Pardons U.S. Journalists During Bill Clinton Visit
By Richard Sisk
Daily News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Dictator Kim Jong-Il pardoned two jailed U.S. women after a personal appeal Tuesday by former President Bill Clinton as a sign of North Korea's "humanitarian and peace-loving policy."
The quick agreement to let Clinton take journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee home suggested that Kim blinked first, despite orchestrated efforts to make talks with Clinton appear to take on a broader agenda covering the dispute with Washington over its nuclear weapons program.
"That's not true," the White House insisted, saying that the former President's mandate was strictly limited to gaining freedom for Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, who were captured in March and sentenced to 12 years hard labor as spies. Ling's sister, Lisa Ling, is a former co-host of ABC's "The View."
To save face, the North Koreans claimed that they extracted an apology from Clinton before the women were freed.
"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 official state news agency said.
There was no immediate word on when Clinton's chartered jet to Pyongyang would be leaving North Korea with Clinton and the two women aboard.
North Korean media said Kim had granted "special pardons" to the two women, who work for former Vice President Al Gore's Current cable TV channel.
The Obama administration was determined to say little about Bill Clinton's mission until the women were safely on their way home.
After arriving in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, Clinton had a sitdown in North Korea today with dictator Kim Jong-Il and immediately there was controversy.
The White House said Clinton's mission was strictly limited to gaining the release of two journalists when North Korea played up the visit as a full-blown summit on a range of issues.
"Bill Clinton courteously conveyed a verbal message of U.S. President Barack Obama to Kim Jong-Il," the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
"Kim Jong-Il expressed thanks for this. He welcomed Clinton's visit to the DPRK (North Korea) and had an exhaustive conversation with him," the official agency said. "There was a wide-ranging exchange of views on the matters of common concern."
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs quickly shot that down.
Gibbs said there was no message from Obama and Clinton's only role was to win the women's freedom.
"While this solely private mission to secure the release of two Americans is on the ground, we will have no comment," Gibbs said in a statment. "We do not want to jeopardize the success of former President Clinton's mission."
ABC News reported Clinton met with the two women Tuesday -- an encounter described by a government source as highly emotional.
Secretary of State Clinton was on her way to Kenya at the start of a 10-day Africa swing, and the aides with her fended off queries on what she knew about her husband's mission.
Back at the State Department, a stone-faced spokesman Robert Wood had no comment. When asked "did the Secretary know that her husband was traveling," Wood responded "As I said, no comment on this issue."
Clinton was accompanied on his surprise visit by his former chief of staff at the White House, John Podesta, and an aide from his Clinton Foundation humanitarian group, Doug Band.
- More coverage from the New York Daily News
Reader Comments
Nobel Peace Prize For Kim Jong-Il Also Deserving For Pardons.
By: Jordan C. Fan, Prophet of Environment.
Kim is one the most highly admirable Environment advocates. He has aggressively developed weapons to defend the Environment instead of manufacturing industries which pollutes the Environment. While the U. S. has gone out of its way to develop oil fields, pipelines, refineries & other industries to pollute frontier wilderness in Alaska to destroy its Environment. Kim has develped nuclear missiles to be within range of Alaska to stop further American migrations there. His pardon for U. S. journist also prove his worthiness. For this, Kim should receive a Nobel Peace Prize of Environment protection. So do Myself also deserve a Nobel.
When the N. Korean nuclear missiles are within range of Alaska it forced Palin to resigned. Who can really blame Palin for resigning in fear of her families of being nuked. This has proven Palin to be an extremely likable & competent government officials & politicians.
Palin is admired by the world over as a devoted & loving mother to protect her offsprings against nuclear threat. On the other hand, Obama must be frowned upon as a leader who has disregarded the safety of his people especially Alaskans in order to remove his political opponent Sarah Palin from her office. Obama should give in to Kim & withdraw all US civilian & military personnel from Korea & Japan.
Japan has betrayed all Asians by becoming a puppet of the U S. People of many Asian nations had allowed Japanese to invade their countries to expel of European & American Colonialists. Many of those Asian people ended up being persecuted or executed by their Japanese invaders. Today, while the Japanese have ample power to drive out American invaders who are currently occupying their land, Japan prefer not to do so in exchange for economic prosperity. While the Chinese were overly generous to forgive those World War II Japanese atrocities to their own people, Japanese is still threaten to invade Chinese land for oil at the Diaoyu Islands. For this reason, all U. S. F-22 warplanes in Okinawa must be destroyed. By allowing the U.S. a strong foothold in Eastern Asia, Japanese have threaten the safety & security of all Asians. For this he Japanese must go so are S. Koreans who have betrayed their own nation. Japan must reverse to wilderness to protect Environment while all Japanese be enslaved in Xinjiang.
This has confirmed that the Americans especially Democrats & Black are extremely chauvinistic racists who must also be frowned upon by the world. American liberty, freedom & justice will end if Obama & his supporters especially Blacks continue to insists on using illegal conspiracy such as blackmails, harassments, threats of body harm, & corruption against qualified candidates.
In addition, the U. S. must apologized to Kim Jong-il and North Korean for calling them Axis of Evil. By changing U. S. presidents and parties can't erase American atrocities to the World.
hand it to clinton
im an obamacon, but i gotta say this action shows why the Clintons are so important to world affairs.
Go bill, go hill
Grown ups
No Ideology. No egos. They worked together to get it done. A real 'mission accomplished'. Good work team!
The contrast to the Bush/Neo-con/Chicken hawk approach is remarkable. One works, the other makes thing worse.
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