SEOUL: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) convicted two US journalists and sentenced them yesterday to 12 years of hard labor for crossing into its territory, intensifying the country's confrontation with the United States.

The Obama administration said it would pursue "all possible channels" to win the release of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, reporters for former vice-president Al Gore's San Francisco-based Current TV media venture.

There are fears Pyongyang is using the women as bargaining chips as the UN debates a new resolution to punish the country for its defiant May 25 atomic test and as the DPRK seeks to draw Washington into direct negotiations.