No Clinton apology for journalists: US

Former US president Bill Clinton offered no apology for the conduct of two American journalists freed by North Korea following his humanitarian mission, a senior US official said on Tuesday.

Former US president Bill Clinton offered no apology for the conduct of two American journalists freed by North Korea following his humanitarian mission, a senior US official said on Tuesday.

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"The answer is no," the official said on condition of anonymity when asked about reports by the Stalinist state's official media that Clinton had made such a gesture.

Earlier, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il agreed to pardon the reporters after the former president "expressed words of sincere apology" for their "hostile acts."

Clinton flew out of North Korea with the two US journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who had been facing long jail terms with hard labor, and was en route to California.