The Obama administration confirmed on Tuesday that a Swedish diplomat has met with two American journalists detained in Pyongyang, urging an immediate release on humanitarian grounds.

File photo shows the two US women reporters held by the DPRK. [Xinhua]

"This meeting just happened, really, just a few hours ago," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters at the daily press briefing, but gave no more details on the meeting.

"The Swedish ambassador, as you know, has met several times with the journalists. The last one before that was June 1st," said the spokesman, adding "we urge North Korea to grant the immediate release of the two journalists on humanitarian grounds."

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has sentenced the two journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who were captured in March for allegedly crossing the border from China and committing "hostile actions" against the country, to 12 years of "reform through labor".

Some analysts say that by this sentence against the journalists, Pyongyang hopes to force the Obama administration to take practical measures to approach the DPRK, further to launch a direct dialogue process toward the normalization of the two countries' relations.

The Obama administration, however, dismissed the speculation and vowed to pursue "all possible approach" in order to persuade Pyongyang to release the two journalists.

Sweden, who has diplomatic relations with the DPRK, provided services to US citizens in the country. 　

(Xinhua News Agency June 24, 2009)