They are both two shots ahead of Sweden's Anna Nordqvist and South Korean Choi Hye-jin in North Carolina.

England's Bronte Law is well-placed on four under at the Pine Needles course.

Lee had four of her six birdies on the front nine and recovered from her only bogey at 14 with birdies at 15 and 16.

"My putting was pretty solid today, and even when I was in kind of tough spots I was able to get up and down," she said.

"I just tried to take advantage of my birdie opportunities and that's pretty much what I did."

Harigae, whose first-round 64 was one off the US Women's Open record, followed up with a two-under-par 69 that featured five birdies and a pair of bogeys as she bids for her first LPGA title and first top-10 finish in a major.

"Things got a little shaky there, but I was really happy with the way I hung in there and made some good birdies coming in," she said.

Sweden's Ingrid Lindblad, whose opening 65 was a record for an amateur in the championship, kept herself in the hunt with an level-par 71 that included three birdies and three bogeys.

She played alongside Swedish great Annika Sorenstam, winner of the 1996 US Women's Open on the same course but who missed the cut this time on 13 over.

Lindblad is in a share of fifth with world number one Ko Jin-young of South Korea, whose four-under 67 featured an eagle at the par-five 15th.