U.S. contacting N. Korea to free two American journalists: State Dept.

By Hwang Doo-hyong

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. State Department said Thursday that it will contact North Korea and China to secure the release of two American journalists being detained in North Korea.

"It's our concern -- when you have, you know, two American citizens who are being
held against their will, we want to try to find out all the facts and try to get
-- you know, gain their release," spokesman Robert Wood said.
Wood was discussing the report that two reporters from Current TV, an American
Internet outlet, were taken by North Korean soldiers along the Tumen River on the
Chinese border while filming the North Korean side early this week.
"We're going to talk to the North Koreans through the Swedish embassy, and --
they are our protective power, of course -- but I'm not going to go beyond that
at this moment, because, again, the facts are not quite clear," the spokesman
said.
The U.S. does not have diplomatic relations with North Korea and the Swedish
embassy in Pyongyang handles consular affairs involving Americans.
Wood said that the U.S. will also talk to the Chinese to help get the release of
the American journalists. "Obviously, we would be talking to the Chinese as well
on this subject. But I'm not going to really go beyond that at this point."
The spokesman said that the U.S. has not yet collected concrete information on
the issue.
"We are talking to a number of parties," Wood said. "We're busily trying to
gather more details. I really don't have any real definitive information for you,
no real independent information, other than what we've seen in the reports."
In 1996, then-U.S. congressman Bill Richardson negotiated with North Korea for
the release of an American, Evan Hunziker, who was held for three months on
suspicion of spying after swimming in the Yalu River. In 1994, Richardson helped
negotiate the release of a U.S. pilot whose military chopper was shot down after
straying into North Korea.