WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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WORLD> Asia-Pacific
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US relieved as reporters back home
By Peng Kuang in Beijing Reuters and AP in US (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-06 10:53 A happy landing Ling and Lee, reporters for an American cable television venture co-founded by Clinton's former vice-president, Al Gore, arrived with Clinton at an airport near Los Angeles.
The two US journalists were arrested at the DPRK-China border in March, accused of illegal entry. They were both sentenced to 12 years hard labor in June. In Los Angeles, Clinton said that he shared "a deep sense of relief with Laura and Euna and their families that they are safely home." Ling raised her arms in the air as the two women descended from the plane for a tearful reunion with their families inside the airport hangar. Ling said she and Lee both feared they could be taken at any moment to a hard labor camp when on Tuesday they were led instead to a location where Clinton was waiting . "We knew the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end," she told reporters. Clinton was received with a round of applause and an embrace from Gore. Financial markets in Tokyo and Seoul largely ignored the visit, though some South Korean traders said it did add a more positive atmosphere to what has been a string of negative reports over the DPRK in recent months.
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