WASHINGTON, June 1 (Yonhap) -- The United States Monday called on North Korea to free two American journalists detained since March for allegedly crossing the border with China illegally while covering North Korean refugees.Deputy State Department spokesman Robert Wood also said that the Swedish ambassador in Pyongyang, Mats Foyer, met with Euna Lee and Laura Ling of Current TV, a San Francisco-based Internet news outlet, earlier in the day for the third time since their detention on March 17. "My understanding is that the Swedish ambassador, who is our protecting power in Pyongyang, visited with the two journalists today; had a separate visit with each of them," Wood told a daily news briefing. "There's not much I can say about the visit, because there are privacy considerations."
Wood said their release is "a high priority for the president and secretary, and we're going to continue to do all we can to see them back with their families."
"They need to release these two Americans," he said. "We're going to continue our efforts to try to gain their release."
North Korea has said that the reporters will be put on trial Thursday on charges of illegal entry and "hostile acts." The journalists face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of espionage.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last week said she hoped the North's decision to try them signaled their early release, in an apparent reference to another American journalist, Roxana Saberi, who was set free by Iran weeks ago on a suspended prison term after getting an eight-year sentence for espionage.
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"The whole nuclear issue is a separate one," Wood said. "We've made very clear -- and other countries, as well, have spoken to this issue -- that these two journalists need to be released. And that's what our efforts are geared toward right now."
Allegations are that North Korea may use the detained journalists as a bargaining chip for resumption of bilateral talks on its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. North Korea has threatened to boycott the six-party talks on ending its nuclear weapons programs and reinforce its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenal unless the Security Council apologizes for its rebuke for an April 5 rocket launch. yongyang also threatened to shun any dialogue with the U.S., citing what it calls hostile policy.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said last week, "Obviously, they see the two women as possible bargaining chips. Now, what the North Koreans want more than anything is they want to deal directly with us. They don't want the other countries involved."
U.S. officials have said they will deal with North Korea bilaterally under the framework of the six-party talks on the North's denuclearization, which involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.
"So they're testing us, the North Koreans," Richardson said. "It's a new administration."