A Japanese media report says former U.S. Vice President Al Gore could visit North Korea to negotiate the release of two detained American journalists.

TBS quoted a well-informed source on North Korea-U.S. relations as making the comment but did not say when the visit will take place.

Laura Ling and Euna Kim are both reporters for Gore's San Francisco-based media outlet Current TV. They were taken into custody March 17th while shooting a documentary along the North's border with China.

Pyongyang said it will try the two June 4th.

Early this month, Victor Cha, a Georgetown University professor and former director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council under the Bush administration, said the U.S. government should send Gore as a high-level envoy to the North.