The South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo says that the U.S. and North Korea have "started delicate negotiations" over the future of Los Angeles journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, citing only "an influential source in Washington."

The next three or four weeks will be crucial in deciding whether the two women can walk free.

The U.S. House of Representatives intended last week to adopt a resolution urging the North to release reporters Euna Lee and Laura Ling, and the Senate intended to follow suit, but their plans have been postponed at the State Department's request, the source said. The State Department made the request to Congress because it fears that a resolution could anger the North at a time when the two countries have entered sensitive negotiations, the source added.

Ling and Lee were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor after being taken into custody while doing a story for Current TV near China's border with North Korea. They have been held since March 17. Hat tip to Night Watch.

Free Laura Ling & Euna Lee