TACOMA, Wash., Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Americans Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller -- who less than 48 hours ago were still imprisoned in North Korea -- were welcomed by family members as they returned to United States Sunday morning.
The two formerly imprisoned Americans were flown to Lewis-McChord air base in Washington State, where loved ones awaited their arrival. After hugging friends and family members, Bae spoke to reporters, thanking both President Obama and the North Korean regime for his freedom.
"I want to thank you all for supporting me and standing by me through this time," Bae said. "It has been a tremendously difficult time for my family and there have been so many people helping them to stand strong."
Bae, a 46-year-old missionary from Lynnwood, Washington, was sentenced to 15 years hard labor for "hostile acts" against the North Korean government after he was arrested while leading a group of tourists in the north of the country. Bae's two-year detainment was the longest an American has been imprisoned by North Korea in many years.
Ten minutes after Bae embraced welcomers, Miller exited the aircraft and stepped onto American soil for the first time in months. The 24-year-old from Bakersfield, California, was sentenced to six years of hard labor for "hostile acts." North Korea alleged that Miller, who had been living in South Korea, came to the country with a tourist visa but ripped it up in Pyongyang Airport and loudly demanded asylum. Prior to his recent freeing, he had been in prison since April.
Once off the airplane, Miller hugged his parents but did not offer comment.
Foreign policy analysts are already beginning to debate what signal North Korea is sending with its decision to release the two Americans. Some have suggested that it's a sign Pyongyang is willing to open up discussions about its nuclear program, while others argue it's simply a way to shift focus off of the country's human rights violations -- which have come under increasing scrutiny by the United Nations.
Joel Wit, a former State Department who has previously negotiated with North Korea on such matters, told CNN it could be that North Korea simply decided it had made its point.
"There may be a number of reasons why North Korea may have released the two Americans now," he said. "These people were put in jail for a certain amount of time, and now they can be released."
