PYONGYANG, North Korea - U.S. journalists Laura Ling (L) and Euna Lee (2nd R) head for a chartered p
Kyodo/AP Images

Laura Ling, left, and Euna Lee, second from right, head toward a plane in Pyongyang for their trip home.

American journalists Euna Lee, 36, and Laura Ling, 32, are due to arrive around 8:30 a.m. ET in Los Angeles.

The two, who were arrested in North Korea back in March and sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp for trespassing into the communist nation's territory, were released yesterday after former president Bill Clinton made a trip to Pyongyang and met face-to-face with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

They're flying to California aboard a private jet that's also carrying Clinton and his delegation. Lee and Ling are reporters for Current TV, a media company partly owned by former vice president Al Gore. NPR's Giles Snyder summed up the story earlier this morning:

This feature requires version 9 or higher of the Adobe Flash Player.Get the latest Flash Player.

As NPR's Corey Flintoff reported on All Things Considered last evening, there were risks and potential rewards associated with Clinton's mission.

In other stories about the reporters' release:

— The New York Times says "both Clintons had key roles."

— According to The Washington Post, Clinton's trip " came about only after weeks of back-channel conversations involving academics, congressional figures, and senior White House and State Department officials, said sources involved in the planning."

— The Wall Street Journal says "North Korea asked for Bill Clinton."

— Politico thinks Bill Clinton has found a "new role in old story."