A North Korean news agency and sources familiar with the situation have said that former Pres. Bill Clinton is on his way to North Korea in hopes of negotiating the release of two American television journalists who were sentenced to 12 years hard labor for trumped-up charges, the New York Times is reporting.
The White House has declined to comment on the reports as of this writing.
Updates
As you can see below, which was lifted from the British Broadcasting Corporation, news reports out of North Korea are difficult to confirm independently:
Former US President Bill Clinton has arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA reports. He travelled there to discuss the fate of two jailed US reporters, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency says.
However, with the BBC and the New York Times both reporting essentially the same story, we at least have some confidence that two major news sources consider the information credible. Now, our prayers turn to the efforts of the diplomats in securing the safety and freedom of the journalists.
Just hours after former Pres. Bill Clinton landed in North Korea’s capital city, President Kim Jong-il issued a “special pardon” that will enable two American TV journalists to go free, the British Broadcasting Corporation reports.
