MOSCOW, August 7 (RIA Novosti) - Washington has briefed Moscow on the outcome of former President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

It said Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg spoke by telephone with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.

It said Karasin "expressed satisfaction" over the release of U.S. journalists Euna Lee, 32, and Laura Ling, 36, who had been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for illegal entry into North Korea and engaging in "hostile acts."

The parties also discussed Korea's nuclear problem and reiterated their readiness to continue consultations on the issue.

Clinton met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during his private trip to the secretive communist state on Tuesday. North Korean official media said Clinton conveyed a verbal message from President Barack Obama to Kim, although the White House has denied the report.

The official North Korean News Agency (KCNA) said Kim had granted "a special pardon to the two American journalists," calling it a sign of the North's "humanitarian and peace-loving policy."