The White House says North Korea’s release of two American journalists and stalled denuclearization negotiations involving the North are two separate matters.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told a news briefing that the U.S. government looks at the detention of Laura Ling and Euna Lee and other issues separately and hopes North Korea does the same.

He reiterated that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit was made on an individual level, stressing that U.S. focus is on ensuring the safety of the two imprisoned reporters of former Vice President Al Gore's Current TV.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested along the North Korean-Chinese border in March and sentenced in June to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry and engaging in "hostile acts."