A senior South Korean government official says that former U.S. President Bill Clinton’s visit to North Korea is entirely an effort to facilitate the release of two American journalists detained by the North.

Clinton arrived in Pyongyang at 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday morning by way of a chartered flight.

The official denied some reports that Clinton's visit may indicate a change in the U.S. government's policy toward North Korea. He reaffirmed that the U.S. and the international community's sanctions on the communist country will continue to remain in place.

According to the official, the former U.S. president's visit is on an individual level, noting that his entourage doesn't include any U.S. government officials.

He said that South Korea and the U.S. had consultations about Clinton's visit to the North in advance.

According to the South Korean official, there is a possibility that Clinton may take the two reporters back to the U.S. with him.

The two women were detained by the North on March 17th near the border with China while reporting on refugees fleeing the communist North. In early June, they were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry and unspecified "hostile acts."