North Korea ? Two American journalists detained in North Korea could land in a notorious labor camp for years if convicted on charges of illegal entry and “hostile acts.” But the regime may be more interested in using the reporters as leverage in talks with the U.S.

They could provide Pyongyang with an edge in any negotiations with Washington following its planned launch of a rocket some time in the coming week, which U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has warned would be seen as a “provocative act” with serious consequences.

Euna Lee and Laura Ling, journalists working for former Vice President Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV media venture, were detained by North Korean border guards March 17 while on a reporting trip to China.

North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency said a preliminary investigation provided enough proof to put the two on trial.