Two Americans freed by North Korea stepped off a plane into the welcoming arms of family on Saturday after the surprise involvement of the top-ranking US intelligence official who traveled to Pyongyang to bring them home.
Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller, who had been doing hard labor for months in North Korea, were accompanied on their journey home by US National Intelligence Director James Clapper, a senior US official said. Their release came less than three weeks after another American was freed by Pyongyang.
The two men arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma in Washington state on a Boeing C-40 Clipper aircraft bearing the words “United States of America.”
Photo: Reuters
A smiling Bae exited the aircraft and in an emotional reunion on the tarmac, greeted his mother, sister, brother-in-law and two nieces.
Miller followed minutes later and also hugged family members. Both men had close-cropped hair.
Bae, 46, a Korean-American missionary from Lynnwood, north of Seattle, was arrested in North Korea in November 2012 and sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor for crimes against the state.
Photo: Reuters
Miller, in his mid-20s, was reportedly convicted on an espionage charge and in custody since April, serving a six-year hard labor sentence.
Bae thanked US President Barack Obama and the North Korean government for his freedom and said he appreciated the thoughts and prayers of people who supported him.
“It’s been an amazing two years, I learned a lot, I grew a lot, lost a lot of weight — in a good way — but I’m standing strong because of you and thank you for being there in such [a] time as this,” Bae said at a news conference.
When asked about his health, Bae said he was still recovering. His family had expressed concern about his wellbeing during his detention, saying he has diabetes, an enlarged heart, deteriorating vision and back and leg pains.
Miller did not speak at the news conference.
CNN reported that the North Korean government issued a statement about the release, saying it received an “earnest apology” from Obama for the men’s actions. It also said the two were “sincerely repentant of their crimes and [were] behaving themselves while serving their terms.”
Analysts yesterday said the pair’s surprise release was further evidence that Pyongyang is genuinely rattled by moves at the UN to charge its leadership with crimes against humanity.
The release came days after an EU-Japan draft resolution — cosponsored by 48 countries — was submitted to a UN General Assembly committee, urging the Security Council to refer the Pyongyang regime to the International Criminal Court.
The pair’s release did not constitute an opening in relations with North Korea, said a senior US Department of State official, who declined to be identified.
Additional reporting by AFP
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