North Korea Puts Two U.S. Journalists on Trial

Richardson said he expects that the reporters will be tried and sentenced within "a day or two."

Once that is over, he added, "that's when you start to negotiate, when you start maneuvering."

He also said it is a good omen that both North Korea and the U.S. government have been restrained in their comments on the reporters' case -- and that the North allowed the reporters to call their families. But he made no predictions.

The North Koreans "don't think like we do," he said, adding: "They are in their own world."

The fate of the reporters has received widespread attention around the United States. Vigils were planned in several cities Wednesday night, which is about the time the women go on trial in Pyongyang.

Special correspondent Stella Kim in Seoul contributed to this report.