American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, detained along the China-North Korea border March 17 for allegedly breaching the border, were sentenced to 12 years of “reform through labor” — and the sentence cannot be appealed. Now begins the diplomatic tit-for-tat. More:

Several senior administration officials said the idea of sending either Gore or New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to Pyongyang on a mission to get the journalists released has been floated to the North Koreans.

No answer has come so far, but the expectation has been that once the trial ended, the North would accept a visit by either Gore or Richardson to secure the journalists’ release.

Richardson served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary during the Clinton administration and has maintained contacts with North Korea. He took several trips there as ambassador, and he has worked for the release of people held by the North Koreans in the past.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-Il has apparently taken up the new hobby of directing opera, according to the Korean Central News Agency. Let’s hope that the third act of the journalists’ saga includes their prompt release. Join the petition to support Ling and Lee.