Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Google boss Eric Schmidt have returned from Pyongyang empty handed after wrapping up a "private humanitarian mission" that had hoped to secure the release of detained U.S. citizen, Kenneth Bae.

Greeting reporters at Beijing's Capital Airport, Richardson explained that he he had been unable to visit the American detainee due to Bae's detention being in the north east of the country, far from Pyongyang. However, Richardson said that he had been given assurances about the good health of detainee Kenneth Bae and understood that he was awaiting trial under North Korea's judicial process, two points he noted were "encouraging".