Clinton, Journalists Flying to Burbank

Burbank (myFOXla.com) - Two newly freed journalists who had been imprisoned in North Korea are en route to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank early this morning along with former President Bill Clinton, who helped secure their release, and former Vice President Al Gore, according to a statement issued by Clinton's office.

"President Clinton has safely left North Korea with Laura Ling and Euna Lee," Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna said. "They are en route to Los Angeles, where Laura and Euna will be reunited with their families."

Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korea in mid-March while working for San Francisco- based Current TV, a media venture co-founded by former Vice President Gore.

The journalists, who were working on a story about North Korean refugees, were granted a "special pardon" Tuesday, shortly after Clinton arrived in the country and met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

Ling is the sister of Lisa Ling, a USC graduate and former co-host of "The View."

In a statement posted online, the families of Ling and Lee said they were "overjoyed by the news of their pardon."

"We are so grateful to our government: President Obama, Secretary Clinton and the U.S. State Department for their dedication to and hard work on behalf of American citizens. We especially want to thank President Bill Clinton for taking on such an arduous mission and Vice President Al Gore for his tireless efforts to bring Laura and Euna home. We must also thank all the people who have supported our families through this ordeal. It has meant the world to us. We are counting the seconds to hold Laura and Euna in our arms."