► Former president Bill Clinton made a surprise visit to North Korea on Tuesday. 前总统比尔 . 克林顿于周二突访朝鲜。

► He met with its leader to gain the release of two detained American journalists. 他与该国首脑会晤，力争释放两名被扣留的美国记者。

► Kim Jong Il gave Laura Ling and Euna Lee what North Korean media called a special pardon. 金正日给予了凌志美和李诚恩朝鲜媒体所谓的“特赦”待遇。

► The women were arrested in March near the border with China. 这两名女子于三月份在中朝边界被逮捕。

► They were sentenced in June to face twelve years of hard labor for illegally entering North Korea. 她们因非法进入朝鲜而于六月被宣判要即将面临 12 年的苦役。

► They were working for Current TV, a media company chaired by Mister Clinton's former vice president, Al Gore. 二人供职于潮流电视台，这是一家由克林顿先生的前副总统戈尔主办的媒体公司。