Jimmy Carter secures release of American held in N. Korea

The former president says he was on a private, unofficial mission

An American man who was facing eight years of hard labour in a North Korean prison is on his way home today thanks to former president Jimmy Carter. Aijalon Gomes was arrested in April when he was deemed to have entered the country illegally. Reportedly a devoutly religious man, Gomes walked over the border from China as part of a one-man peace mission. Carter managed to secure a pardon for him from Kim Jong-Il, but it’s unclear whether the ex-president ever met with the North Korean leader. South Korean officials reported yesterday that they believed Kim had made a surprise trip to China on the eve of Carter’s visit.