North Korea Frees Last 2 Americans

Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae are released
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 8, 2014 9:34 AM CST
North Korea Frees Last 2 Americans
Matthew Miller speaks to the Associated Press in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File)

No more Americans are being held in North Korea: Pyongyang today released Kenneth Bae and Matthew Miller, both of whom had been sentenced to years of hard labor, reports CNN. As with the recent release of Jeffrey Fowle, it wasn't clear what prompted the move, though the State Department made a point to single out Sweden. "We want to thank our international partners, especially ... the government of Sweden, for their tireless efforts to help secure their release."

Bae is a missionary who was convicted of crimes against the state in 2012 and sentenced to 15 years, while Miller is a 25-year-old Californian accused of espionage. He had recently begun serving a six-year sentence. Both men were reportedly on their way back to the US in the company of national intelligence director James Clapper, reports Reuters. (More North Korea stories.)

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