BURBANK, California (CNN) -- Laura Ling on Wednesday expressed the shock she and Euna Lee felt when former President Clinton showed up in Pyongyang, North Korea, to help secure the two journalists' release.



The families of Euna Lee, left, and Laura Ling greet them Wednesday in California.



"We feared at any moment that we could be sent to a hard labor camp, and then suddenly we were told we were going to a meeting," a tearful and emotional Ling said at a news conference Wednesday morning in California shortly after arriving by plane with Lee and Clinton.



She spoke minutes after the two women were reunited with their families at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank outside Los Angeles. They had been detained in North Korea since March.



North Korea pardoned Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, after Clinton's brief trip Tuesday to Pyongyang.



"We were taken to a location, and when we walked through the doors, we saw standing before us President Bill Clinton," Ling said, with Lee standing beside her.  Watch the emotional return at the airport »



"We were shocked, but we knew instantly in our hearts that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end."



She expressed her and Lee's "deepest gratitude" to Clinton and his "wonderful, amazing" team.  Watch as Ling says, "We could feel your love" »



"The past 140 days have been the most difficult, heart-wrenching time of our lives," Ling said. "We are very grateful that we were granted amnesty by the government of North Korea, and we are so happy to be home."



She said that she and Lee are looking forward to spending "some quiet, private time" with their families. iReport.com: Share reaction to the freed journalists



Former Vice President Al Gore also spoke to the throngs of journalists at the news conference. He expressed his gratitude to Clinton and President Obama and his administration who "have been deeply involved in this humanitarian effort."  Watch Gore pay tribute to the people involved in the effort »



Lee and Ling are employed by Gore's California-based media company, Current TV. The women were arrested in March while reporting from the border between North Korea and China. In June, they were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor on charges of entering the country illegally to conduct a smear campaign.



On Wednesday morning, Lee bowed as she walked down the steps of the plane into a private hangar, and Ling raised her fists into the air. The women hugged their families, who were waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Lee's 4-year-old daughter, Hana, clung tightly to her tearful mother.  Watch as the women reunite with their families »



Clinton walked off the plane minutes later but did not address the crowd.



"I am very happy that after this long ordeal, Laura Ling and Euna Lee are now home and reunited with their loved ones," Clinton said in a statement.



"When their families, Vice President Gore and the White House asked that I undertake this humanitarian mission, I agreed. I share a deep sense of relief with Laura and Euna and their families that they are safely home."



Journalist Lisa Ling said she never gave up hope that she would see her sister again.



"We always maintained our hope and knew in our hearts that we would see Laura again; we just didn't know when," Lisa Ling said outside her home in Los Angeles, California. "We are just thrilled beyond words that the day has finally arrived."



She said her sister was looking forward to eating fresh fruit and food for the first time in four months, after many meals of rice that often contained rocks.



"I can tell she has gone through a lot," Ling said.



"My sister has an amazing, amazing spirit, and she's a little bit weak right now, so I think it's going take a little time for her to gather up her wits and be
What is Laura Ling greatful for? What is the freed journalist is looking forward to? What did Clinton do? What is the freed journalist looking forward to? When were 2 journalists arrested? What is the name of the journalist? how many journalists was arrested
that we were granted amnesty by the government of North Korea, "some quiet, private time" showed up in Pyongyang, North Korea, to help secure the two journalists' release. spending "some quiet, private time" with their families. March Laura Ling two
question: What is Laura Ling greatful for?, answer: that we were granted amnesty by the government of North Korea, | question: What is the freed journalist is looking forward to?, answer: "some quiet, private time" | question: What did Clinton do?, answer: showed up in Pyongyang, North Korea, to help secure the two journalists' release. | question: What is the freed journalist looking forward to?, answer: spending "some quiet, private time" with their families. | question: When were 2 journalists arrested?, answer: March | question: What is the name of the journalist?, answer: Laura Ling | question: how many journalists was arrested, answer: two