The Obama administration on Thursday welcomed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) setting a trial date for two US journalists.

"We believe (it) is a signal that there can be and I hope will be a resolution as soon as possible," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters, referring to the DPRK statement of having set June 4 as the trial date for the two journalists, who were arrested in March near the Chinese-DPRK border.

File photo shows the two US women reporters held by the DPRK. [Xinhua]

Reports in Washington said the two women, employed by a San Francisco-based TV network, planned to gather video footage about the hardship facing the DPRK refugees, while the DPRK authorities accused them of committing "hostile acts" against the country.

"We believe that the charges are baseless and should not have been brought and these two young women should be released immediately," Clinton said.

The top US diplomat also rejected to link the detained journalists' issue with the Korean Peninsula nuclear talks, as some reports said Pyongyang wants to use the journalists as so-called "bargaining chips" with the Obama administration on the talks.

"We intend to have an open door for a return to the six-party talks," said Clinton, adding that "the ball is in the North Korean court." "We are not concerned about chasing after North Korea and offering concessions to North Korea," she said.

Earlier in April, the UN Security Council adopted a presidential statement condemning the April 5 launch activity by the DPRK and demanding the country "not conduct any further launch".

Pyongyang subsequently announced it was quitting the six-party talks on Korean Peninsular nuclear disarmament and would conduct nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests if the UN Security Council does not apologize for "infringing" on the country's sovereignty.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2009)