International
(l. to r.): Kyodo / Reuters; Anthony Bolante / Reuters
The last two American detainees being held in North Korea have been released and U.S. authorities said following previously unpublicized negotiations between Pyongyang and the White House's national intelligence chief James Clapper.
In a statement from the State Department, it was announced that Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller had been freed after a respective two years and seven months captivity.
Bae, upon arriving in Seattle Saturday night at Joint Base-Lewis-McChord said "It's been an amazing two years, I learned a lot, I grew a lot, I lost a lot of weight." Bae, a Korean-American missionary has an array of health problems.
Millerm of Bakersfield, Calif. arrived on the same flight.
“We join their families and friends in welcoming them home,” State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said. Both men were released following secretive talks led by Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence. The State Department also thanked the government of Sweden, which acts on behalf of U.S. citizens in North Korea in lieu of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Pyongyang.
The release of Bae and Miller comes just weeks after another U.S. detainee, Jeffrey Fowle, was released by North Korea.
In comments Saturday, President Barack Obama praised Clapper for "doing a great job on what was obviously a challenging mission."
Miller, 24, from California, had been convicted on Sept 14. and was serving a six-year jail term on charges of espionage, after he allegedly ripped up his tourist visa at Pyongyang's airport in April and demanded asylum.
Bae is a 46 year-old Korean-American missionary with health problems. From Washington state, he was serving a 15-year sentence for alleged anti-government activities and unspecified "hostile acts."
In announcing the two men's release, the State Department reiterated its "strong recommendation against all travel by U.S. citizens to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)."
Tourism to North Korea has increased markedly in the past few years, despite the recent string of arrests, with some operators estimating a tenfold increase in Western visitors over the last ten years.
Fowle had been detained after leaving a Bible in a nightclub in the hope that it would reach the country's underground Christian community.
The announcement about Bae and Miller came one day before Obama travels to Asia for a three-country visit.
The development does not mean a change in U.S. posture regarding North Korea's disputed nuclear program, and the North still must show it is serious and ready to abide by commitments toward denuclearization and improved human rights, said a senior Obama administration official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss national security matters.
Pyongyang watchers told Al Jazeera that the decision to release both men was likely an attempt by North Korea to to gain favorable attention in order to offset the impact of United Nations' efforts to hold the country to account over alleged human rights violations.
"I think the North Koreans came to see the American hostages as a liability, especially in the context of the active debate over North Korean human rights at the UN in the aftermath of the UN Commission of Inquiry report," said Scott Snyder, senior fellow for Korea studies and director of the U.S.-Korea policy program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
The United Nations inquiry detailed what it said were vast human rights abuses in the impoverished country and warned that leader Kim Jong Un could be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Although ally China, a UN permanent council member, has signaled it would veto such a move, Pyongyang has appeared unnerved by the development.
Jerome A. Cohen, co-director of New York University School of Law's U.S.-Asia Law Institute, said that the US should seize upon the opportunity to broach dialogue with North Korea.
"Although China will veto any reference to the ICC, the whole process would be distasteful and harmful to DPRK interests. I think that the US and other powers should seize the opportunity to make a breakthrough in relations with the North and adopt a broader, more comprehensive approach than solely focusing on the nuclear issues," Cohen said.
With wire services.
Error
Sorry, your comment was not saved due to a technical problem. Please try again later or using a different browser.