U.S. told journos treated well by N. Korea

WASHINGTON, March 25 (UPI) -- North Korean diplomats have assured the United States that two U.S. journalists the North is holding are being treated well, a State Department spokesman says.

Acting State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the word was passed on to U.S. officials by the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang.

"I really don't want to go into much more detail because we're trying to work this issue diplomatically, and the less said from here, the better," Wood said at Tuesday's news briefing in Washington.

He added that Washington was asking Sweden to seek access to the two captive journalists.

The pair were detained last week by North Korean border guards along the Chinese frontier. Reports indicate the pair were on Chinese soil when they were taken into custody and transferred to Pyongyang.

The women are identified as Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who work for Current TV in California.

Wood declined to comment on reports the two women were being charged with espionage.