(2nd LD) N. Korea detains two American journalists

By Lee Chi-dong

SEOUL, March 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea and the United States are in talks over the fate of two American journalists detained by the communist nation, a diplomatic source here said Thursday.

"Two reporters working for a U.S.-based Internet news media outlet, including a
Korean-American, were detained by North Korean authorities earlier this week, and
they remain in custody there," the source said.
The journalists, who are both women, were videotaping a scene near the North's
border with China despite repeated warnings by North Korean border guards,
according to the source.
They were arrested after accidentally crossing into North Korea, the source said,
adding it is hard to predict how the North will handle the issue.
South Korean foreign ministry officials refused to confirm the reports, saying
the matter is between North Korea and the United States, but a ministry official
told Yonhap News Agency that he was "aware of the incident."
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul also declined to comment on the matter.
"The State Department instructed us to refer any related inquiry to Washington,"
said Aaron Tarver, press attache at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul. He said it was the
first time he has received such a directive.
Diplomatic observers said the U.S. seems to be trying to resolve the issue
quietly due to concerns over the safety of the detainees.
They said North Korea is likely to release the journalists in the near future. "A
U.S. government official may visit North Korea to bring them back," an observer
said.