The families of two U.S. journalists imprisoned in North Korea had asked former President Bill Clinton to intervene in their case.

That's according to a senior U.S. official, who says former Vice President Al Gore also asked for Clinton's help. Laura Ling and Euna Lee were pardoned by North Korea less than 24 hours after Clinton arrived in the country.

The women were arrested near the North Korean-Chinese border in March and sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor. They were accused of illegal entry and engaging in "hostile acts." They'd been working for a media venture started by Gore.

Clinton's brief trip to Pyongyang also resulted in rare talks with the regime's reclusive leader, Kim Jong Il. State run media described the talks as "wide-ranging" and "exhaustive." But a U.S. official says Clinton's mission did not include discussions beyond releasing the journalists.

Clinton and the freed reporters are on their way back to the U.S.