As I expected, the captured US journalists are being used to open the bilateral talks between the US and North Korea:

Amid rising concerns that North Korea is seeking to capitalize on the case of two U.S. journalists detained in North Korea for illegal entry, the U.S. State Department said Friday that a vigorous diplomatic work is under way to free the pair, Yonhap reported Saturday.

“They are still there,” State Department spokesman Robert Wood said. “We’re working through a number of different diplomatic channels to try to see what we can do to get these folks released.”

It has been a month since the two American journalists, who were near the border area to film the situation of human trafficking of North Korean females, became captives by the border patrol and sent to Pyongyang.

Some analysts say North Korea aims to contact the U.S. bilaterally rather than through the six-party talks amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula as a result of North Korea’s rocket launch last week. Talks on the journalists’ release could conceivably broaden to include nuclear and missile issues.  [Korea Times]

I wouldn’t be surprised if the US side will make some kind of concession to get the release of the journalists and then their release will be used to declare a victory for diplomacy and a sign that the North Korean regime can be negotiated with in good faith.

Then talks will open up and go on and on while the US makes payouts and North Korea renegs on agreements and keeps their nuclear weapons.  It takes no rocket scientist to figure this out considering this has been the North Korean playbook for the last 20 years.  Does anyone think Stephen Bosworth can do what no one else before him could do and that is get North Korea to denuclearize and act like a responsible member of the global community?