Washington, Mar. 19 : North Korean soldiers have detained two American journalists and their guide while they were on a reporting trip near the country''s border with China, according to the State Department and their employer, Current TV.

U. S. State Department spokesman Fred Lash confirmed to CBS News Thursday that two Americans had been detained near the China-North Korea border two days earlier.

Lash has refused to name the missing U. S. nationals, but told CBS News they were journalists and may have been filming along the border when they were detained.

A statement on Current TV''s Web site confirmed that the Americans were Laura Ling, a reporter for the California-based online media outlet, and her photographer Euna Kim. The statement said North Korean soldiers had detained both. (ANI)