U.S. President Barack Obama is reportedly weighing whether to send former Vice President Al Gore or New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to North Korea to negotiate the release of two detained American journalists.

According to Reuters on Tuesday, Obama’s staff is making active efforts to secure the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee --- both of whom work for San Francisco-based Current TV and were sentenced to 12 years each of forced labor.

Richardson successfully negotiated the release of detained Americans in the North in 1994 and 1996 and Gore is the head of Current TV.

Earlier on Monday, CNN said the United States proposed to the North sending Gore or Richardson to Pyongyang to negotiate the journalists’ release. The report said the North has yet to respond to the proposal.

The North announced Monday its sentencing of the two journalists, who were detained for unspecified “hostile acts” while filming a documentary near the North Korean-Chinese border over two months ago.