AFP news agency reports that the U.S. State Department may send former U.S. Vice President Al Gore to North Korea to negotiate the release of two American journalists on trial.

The two female journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee of the San Francisco-based Current TV, were taken into custody by the North on March 17th near the Chinese border for illegal entry and unspecified “hostile acts.”

The report said U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly did not rule out the possibility of sending Gore, the founder of Current TV.

Kelly also declined to talk about whether Gore had discussed the matter with the State Department, citing the sensitivity of the matter.

Earlier 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.