Euna Lee (left) and Laura Ling
Reuters/Landov; Steve Grayson/WireImage
"[Laura] seems like she's in pretty good physical health so we're very happy about that," Ling's husband, Iain Clayton, told reporters outside their home in Studio City, Calif. "At the moment now she's going to relax and take it easy."
"My sister is absolutely exhausted and just resting," added Ling's sister, Lisa. "She could barely speak she's so tired."
Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, the American journalists sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for alleged "hostile acts" in North Korea, were officially pardoned on Tuesday. They returned to the United States with former President Bill Clinton, who helped secure their release after meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.
"This is kind of an unprecedented situation and we have completely drawn support from so many people," said Lisa. "We are so especially appreciative of our government who really came to the rescue."
Ling, according to Lisa, not only was happy to be home but also to be able to eat fresh food.
"She was telling us how there were rocks in her rice [in North Korea]," revealed Lisa. "She's anxious just to eat fresh food. I know there's going to be a sushi dinner very soon!"
Their mother Mary woke up at 3 o'clock in the morning to prepare her daughter's first meal: "A special Chinese herbal soup."
When asked by reporters outside the home if she thought there would be a happy ending, Mary described the past few months as "just kind of up and down all the time."
"Some days I think [their release] is happening, some days I say it may not happen. Just scared and wishful at the same time, all the time," she said. "What gave me courage was millions of people all over the world – their encouragement."
