Bill Clinton in North Korea

Former President Clinton is engaged in talks aimed at bringing home Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the Los Angeles journalists for Current TV held in North Korea since March 17, the New York Times reports tonight. "Mr. Clinton landed in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, early Tuesday morning local time, Central TV, a North Korean station, reported. The White House declined to comment," the paper says.

The Obama administration had been considering for weeks whether to send a special envoy to North Korea.

The choice of Mr. Clinton would mark his first public mission on behalf of the administration. His wife, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, has been deeply involved in the journalists’ case.

Ling's sister Lisa Ling, the television journalist, posted yesterday at Twitter simply: "is feeling positive." Over the weekend she posted "David Beckham just held up a Bring Laura&Euna Home sign," apparently at the Rose Bowl match between the Galaxy and FC Barcelona.

LAT too: The L.A. Times has a bylined story from Seoul quoting a North Korea expert saying "The question is going to be how could [Clinton] go to Pyongyang without some assurance that they would be released. For someone at his level to go without a prior assurance of some kind would be to risk a huge loss of face."