North Korea has released the American citizen who has been detained since January for entering the communist state illegally. The man Aijalon Mahli Gomes was freed after the former US President Jimmy Carter flew to Pyongyang to negotiate the release. Gomes, 31 was sentenced to eight years' hard labour in April, after being found guilty of illegally entering the country from China. Mr Carter, who spent two days in Pyongyang, has now left with Mr Gomes. North Korea's state media said officials told Mr Carter of Pyongyang's willingness to re-enter talks on its nuclear programme. The Deputy Prime Minister Kim Yong-nam expressed the Republic's commitment to de-nuclearise the Korean peninsula and resume the six-way talks.