Two Americans who were long detained in North Korea have finally been released and are on their way home, U.S. government officials announced Saturday.
The U.S. Director of National Intelligence said American citizens Kenneth Bae and Matthew Todd Miller are en route from North Korea, according to Al.com. It is not clear when they will arrive in the U.S.
"We welcome (North) Korea's decision to release both Mr. Bae and Mr. Miller," the NSA said according to the news site. "We want to thank our international partners, especially the government of Sweden, for their tireless efforts to help secure their release."
The releases come nearly three weeks after North Korea released Jeffrey Fowle, who along with the Bae and Miller made up three American captives the U.S. has worked nonstop to bring home.
Miller, 24, has been detained since April when he ripped his tourist visa and demanded asylum, an action the state media described as "hostile acts," the BBC reported. He was sentenced to six years of hard labor in September.
Bae, a Christian missionary, was allegedly operating as a tour guide when he was arrested in late 2012. The conservative country accused him of plotting to overthrow the government and sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor last year.
Fowle was never sentenced for a crime but was detained after allegedly leaving a Bible in a hotel, an act seen as a threat against the authoritarian government.
American officials have relied on Sweden's embassy in North Korea to help secure their release because the country does not have diplomatic ties with the U.S., stemming in part from North Korea's controversial nuclear program.
A U.S. official told the Associated Press that nothing was offered for Bae and Miller's release and that the U.S. has not changed its stance on North Korea's nuclear activities.
