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Clinton's comments, her first calling for amnesty, came a day after Ling's sister Lisa indicated that the pair now admit having broken North Korean law and need help from the US government.
"The two journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident and I think everyone is very sorry that it happened," Clinton told foreign service employees and others at a State Department meeting.
"What we hope for now is that these two young women would be granted amnesty through the North Korean system and be returned home to their families as soon as possible," Clinton said when asked about the women's plight.
A North Korean court on June 8 sentenced Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, to 12 years of "reform through labor" for an illegal border crossing and an unspecified "grave crime."
Ling and Lee were detained by North Korean border guards on March 17 along the frozen Tumen River, which marks the North's border with China, while researching a story on refugees fleeing the hardline communist state.
The pair were on reporting assignment for San Francisco-based Current TV, a company co-founded by former vice president Al Gore.
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip Crowley did not reply directly when reporters asked repeatedly if Clinton herself was sorry about the incident.
"Clearly, this is a regrettable incident," Crowley told the daily news briefing at the State Department.
"We look to try to see how this can be resolved. We have called repeatedly for these journalists to be released, and we hope that North Korea does so as soon as possible," the spokesman added.
In a television interview broadcast Thursday, Lisa Ling said she had received a telephone call from her sister Laura who she added "was very specific about the message she was communicating.
"And she said, 'look, we violated North Korean law and we need our government to help us. We're sorry about everything that happened but now we need diplomacy," Lisa Ling told KOVR television.
After the punishment was announced last month, Ling and Lee's families issued a joint statement that apologized on their behalf if the reporters accidentally strayed across the border, and asked North Korea for "compassion." The families said at the time they were "shocked and devastated" by the harsh sentences.
Crowley declined to reply when asked whether the administration was adopting new language because it had reason to believe North Korea would react unfavorably to the previous statements.
"I'm not going to go any further," he said.
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"The two journalists and their families have expressed great remorse for this incident and I think everyone is very sorry that it happened," Clinton told foreign service employees and others at a State Department meeting.
"What we hope for now is that these two young women would be granted amnesty through the North Korean system and be returned home to their families as soon as possible," Clinton said when asked about the women's plight.
A North Korean court on June 8 sentenced Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, to 12 years of "reform through labor" for an illegal border crossing and an unspecified "grave crime."
Ling and Lee were detained by North Korean border guards on March 17 along the frozen Tumen River, which marks the North's border with China, while researching a story on refugees fleeing the hardline communist state.
The pair were on reporting assignment for San Francisco-based Current TV, a company co-founded by former vice president Al Gore.
Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip Crowley did not reply directly when reporters asked repeatedly if Clinton herself was sorry about the incident.
"Clearly, this is a regrettable incident," Crowley told the daily news briefing at the State Department.
"We look to try to see how this can be resolved. We have called repeatedly for these journalists to be released, and we hope that North Korea does so as soon as possible," the spokesman added.
In a television interview broadcast Thursday, Lisa Ling said she had received a telephone call from her sister Laura who she added "was very specific about the message she was communicating.
"And she said, 'look, we violated North Korean law and we need our government to help us. We're sorry about everything that happened but now we need diplomacy," Lisa Ling told KOVR television.
After the punishment was announced last month, Ling and Lee's families issued a joint statement that apologized on their behalf if the reporters accidentally strayed across the border, and asked North Korea for "compassion." The families said at the time they were "shocked and devastated" by the harsh sentences.
Crowley declined to reply when asked whether the administration was adopting new language because it had reason to believe North Korea would react unfavorably to the previous statements.
"I'm not going to go any further," he said.
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