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.

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