The U.S. State Department says North Korea’s release of two U.S. reporters Wednesday is a separate issue from negotiations for North Korea's nuclear disarmament.

A state department spokesman told a regular news briefing Wednesday that Washington has consistently stated that former U.S. President Bill Clinton's visit to Pyongyang was an individual humanitarian act separate from nuclear talks with the North.

The spokesman rejected criticism that Clinton's North Korea trip effectively acknowledged the North Korean regime, saying that Washington does not believe the trip was a prize for provocative acts.