Diplomatic sources say an airplane carrying former U.S. President Bill Clinton and the two American journalists freed by North Korea has left for Los Angeles after refueling at a U.S. military base in Japan.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK says the chartered plane flew out of Pyongyang on Wednesday morning and stopped at Misawa Air Base around noon for refueling.

The airplane carrying the group is expected to arrive in Los Angeles around ten p.m., Korean time.

Shortly after his arrival, Clinton is expected to issue a statement or hold a news conference on his visit to North Korea.

He made an announced visit to the communist state Tuesday to seek the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling. The women had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for entering the country illegally.