U.S. President Barack Obama has debriefed former President Bill Clinton about his mission to North Korea to secure the release of two American journalists who had been detained in the North for over four months.

The White House said the meeting afforded the two the opportunity to talk about the former president’s humanitarian mission and to share their views on future directions involving dealings with the North.

Clinton’s team briefed the White House on two previous occasions and had extensive discussions with related government bodies about the trip.

Clinton arrived in North Korea on August fourth on a mission to facilitate the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, correspondents for former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s Current TV media outlet. The two had been detained since March for allegedly crossing into the communist state via the North Korea-Chinese border and so-called “hostile acts.” They were released on August fifth.