Seoul - The fate of two US journalists detained by North Korea was still unclear on Friday, a US envoy said.

"We are still trying to get a sense of exactly what the situation is and what happened," said US Ambassador Kathleen Stephens after a meeting with diplomats in Seoul.

The US government and US diplomats were trying to secure the release of the two women, "who do seem to be held in some way," Stephens said. "So we will hope for the best."

The journalists, who work for US-based Current TV, a channel co-founded by former vice president Al Gore, were arrested earlier this week by North Korean authorities along the Chinese border when shooting footage of the Stalinist state. (dpa)