The two American journalists that were held in North Korea since March and had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor arrived to the United States today meeting their families in a tearful encounter.

The journalists, Laura Ling, 32 and Euna Lee, 36 were accompanied by ex-president Bill Clinton who visited North Korea's leader Kim-Jong-il to negotiate the women's release as purely a humanitarian effort, CNN noted today.

Moving images of the two journalists embracing their families at their arrival were captured by photo journalists including one of Ling raising her arms in the air as both came down from the airplane's stairs and another of Lee reuniting with her husband and daughter.

At their arrival, the Obama administration said it was enormously pleased, about the safe return of Ling and Lee, Reuters reports citing a White House spokesman.

The U.S. did not promise any rewards for their release and there was not link to non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, according to U.S. officials, Reuters said.

Ling and Lee, two Current TV journalists were first arrested in March on charges of crossing from China to North Korea illegally as they reported on trafficking of women.