South Korean media say North Korea's military has detained two American journalists along the country's northern border.
Reports say the two were detained Tuesday along the Yalu river, which marks North Korea's border with China. The two were said to have ignored warnings from North Korean guards to stop filming.
Reports say the two female reporters were working for an online news company - Current TV - that is based in the western U.S. state of California.
A U.S. embassy spokesman in Seoul referred questions about the incident to the State Department, which has yet to comment on the reports.
The incident comes at a sensitive time for U.S.-North Korean relations, with the communist state preparing what it calls a satellite launch early next month.
The U.S. and South Korea say the launch is a cover for a test of the North's longest-range missile.
The North is also angry at an ongoing U.S.-South Korean military exercise that it describes as a rehearsal for an invasion.
Earlier this week, the State Department said North Korea told Washington it does not want to receive any more food aid.
Journalists who wish to visit North Korea must obtain special visas and are accompanied by official guides during their stay.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.
