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 Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller, who had been doing hard labor
for months in North Korea, were accompanied on their journey home by
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, a senior U.S.
official said. Their release comes 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."
A smiling Bae exited the aircraft and in an emotional reunion on the
tarmac greeted his mother, sister, brother-in-law and two young
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. 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 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 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 had diabetes, an enlarged heart, deteriorating
vision and back and leg pains. Miller did not speak to reporters.
The United States had frequently called for the men to be freed for
humanitarian reasons, especially given Bae's health problems.
CNN reported 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."
According to the statement, the first chairman of North Korea's
National Defense Commission, the country's leader, Kim Jong Un,
ordered the release.
North Korea, already under international sanctions for its nuclear
and missile programs, has been on a diplomatic campaign to counter
charges by a U.N. body that highlighted widespread human rights
abuses and a move by some U.N. members to refer the state to an
international tribunal. But it was not clear what prompted Pyongyang
to free the two men at this time.
Their release did not constitute an opening in relations with North
Korea, said a senior State Department official, who declined to be
identified. The official said for that to happen, Pyongyang must
fulfill its commitments on denuclearization and human rights.
"He (Clapper) was not there to negotiate. And our position hasn't
changed."
 The men were released just hours before Obama was to start a trip to
Asia that will include talks with Chinese leaders about how Beijing
can use its influence with North Korea to rein in its nuclear
weapons program, U.S. officials have said.
"It's a wonderful day for them and their families," Obama said at
the White House. "Obviously we are very grateful for their safe
return and I appreciate Director Clapper doing a great job on what
was obviously a challenging mission."
A senior U.S. official said: "The DNI (Clapper) did carry a brief
message from the President indicating that Director Clapper was his
personal envoy to bring the two Americans home."
Bae's delighted son, Jonathan, told Reuters from Arizona that he
received a call Friday night and spoke to his father.
"One minute he was doing farm labor and the next minute they are
saying, 'You are going home.' Just like everyone else, he was
surprised," he said.
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CLAPPER'S ROLE
As director of national intelligence, a job created after the Sept.
11, 2001, attacks on the United States, Clapper oversees the CIA and
some 15 other intelligence agencies, making his trip to Pyongyang
surprising. U.S. officials said it was the first time a national
intelligence director had been involved in such a high-profile
diplomatic matter.
Arrangements for the release had come together in the past several
days and North Korea had asked for a high-ranking envoy to be
involved, the official said.
Clapper did not personally meet Kim Jong Un, but met with a number
of North Korean security officials during the roughly one day he was
in the country, a senior U.S. official said.
The men's release came just a few weeks after North Korea freed
another American, Jeffrey Fowle, 56 - a street repair worker from
Miamisburg, Ohio, who had been arrested in May for leaving a Bible
in a sailor's club in the North Korean city of Chongjin, where he
was traveling as a tourist.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the release, his office
said in a statement, adding, "The Secretary-General hopes that this
positive momentum for improving relations among the concerned
parties for peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond
will be built on."
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE
Victor Cha, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies,
said the release could indicate North Korea wants to press Obama on
the eve of his Asian trip and that Pyongyang is feeling
international heat from the U.N. resolution.
"This is worrying to them," Cha said. "They have never seen anything
like this before. Moreover, it is not coming from the U.S. but from
the entire international community. They are trying to blunt
criticism and perhaps water down the resolution with these actions."
Miller, of Bakersfield, California, had gone to North Korea on a
tourist visa, which state media said he tore up while demanding
Pyongyang grant him asylum.
The Associated Press reported Miller was tried on an espionage
charge and prosecutors at his trial said he had falsely claimed to
have secret information about the U.S. military stationed in South
Korea.
Bae's family said on its website that Bae had operated from China
since 2006 and led more than a dozen tours of North Korea.
"Even tonight as we were reunited, he said to me 'I'm so happy to be
here but my heart aches for the people of North Korea,'" Bae's
sister, Terri Chung, told reporters.
(Writing by Bill Trott; Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick,
Mark Hosenball, Bill Trott and David Brunnstrom in Washington,
Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles, and
James Pearson in Seoul and Hyungwon Kang in Toronto; Editing by
Sandra Maler, Bernard Orr, Jeremy Laurence and Nick Macfie)
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