U.S. governor Richardson meets DPRK's diplomats

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- In another potential sign of improving relations between Washington and Pyongyang, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson on Wednesday hosted two diplomats from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The governor, who visited Pyongyang for several times in the past years, reportedly met Kim Myong-Gil and Paek Jong-Jo, both from the DPRK's mission to the United Nations at his mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

No more details on the meeting have been revealed.

The meeting, reportedly requested by the DPRK, came after former U.S. President Bill Clinton paid a successful visit to Pyongyang, where he met with the top leader Kim Jong-Il and secured the release of two American journalists.

Clinton has briefed President Barack Obama on his Pyongyang tour.

The DPRK's official news agency KCNA said Kim and Clinton held talks on improving bilateral relations, while the Obama administration insisted that Clinton did not discuss any issues beyond the journalists' release.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who worked for the Current TV co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore, were captured in March for illegally crossing the DPRK border from China and were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in June.