Kim Jong Il Pardons Journalists During Bill Clinton Visit

GWEN IFILL:

North Korea announced today President Kim Jong-il has pardoned two American journalists who'd been held since March. He ordered their release hours after former President Bill Clinton arrived in North Korea for a surprise visit.

Jeffrey Brown has our lead story.

JEFFREY BROWN:

The North Korean announcement followed a day of ceremonies and meetings beginning with Mr. Clinton's arrival at the airport in Pyongyang.

In short order, he met with Kim, who rarely meets with foreigners, and who had an apparent stroke a year ago and remains in ill health. But state-run media reported Kim held, quote, "exhaustive talks" with Mr. Clinton.

Later, the former president met with Laura Ling and Euna Lee. The two journalists work for Current TV, a news organization founded by Mr. Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore.

Ling and Lee were arrested in March along the China-North Korea border. They were convicted in June of hostile acts and sentenced to 12 years at hard labor.

Today, Obama administration officials stressed the private nature of Mr. Clinton's visit. At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs reiterated that there would be no comment while Mr. Clinton was in North Korea.

ROBERT GIBBS, White House press secretary: This obviously is a very sensitive topic. We will hope to provide some more detail at a later point. Our focus right now is on ensuring the safety of two journalists.

JEFFREY BROWN:

The North Korean news agency said the former president did convey a verbal message from President Obama, but gave no details. White House officials said no such message was relayed.

The North Koreans also reported the discussions included a wide range of issues, and among those greeting the former president this morning was the regime's chief nuclear negotiator.

U.S.-North Korean relations have been tense for months, as talks over the North's nuclear program have been at a standstill and the North Koreans have conducted an underground nuclear test and test-fired a number of long- and medium-range missiles.

This evening, the North Korean news agency announced former President Clinton and his party had left the country. The report did not say if the two American women were on the flight.

U.S. officials said they had no indication yet the Clinton plane had departed.

Joining me now to discuss today's developments, Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff during the second Bush administration. He's now a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution.

And Selig Harrison, director of the Asia program at the Center for International Policy, he frequently travels to North Korea.

Welcome to both of you.

SELIG HARRISON, Center for International Policy: Thank you.

DENNIS WILDER, Former Asia Director, National Security Council:

Thank you.

JEFFREY BROWN:

Why now? Why at this time? What's known about what brought this about?