Former US President Bill Clinton returns home with the two U.S. reporters who were imprisoned in North Korea.

The two reporters, Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, were caught by North Korean guards entering North Korea across the Chinese border and were sentenced to 12 years hard labor.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il issued a special pardon to the journalists after meeting Mr Clinton on Tuesday.

According to BBC, the senior US administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said the two reporters were in “very good health” and that the North Korean government had agreed in advance that Mr Clinton’s mission would not touch on the question of its nuclear programme.

The official North Korean News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement that “Kim Jong-il issued an order… granting a special pardon to the two American journalists who had been sentenced to hard labour”, saying that the pardon was a sign of North Korea’s “humanitarian and peace-loving policy.”

Clinton did not offer an apology for the reporters actions.