Russian parliamentary leader to visit DPRK, ROK

MOSCOW - Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of Russian Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, said Thursday she plans to visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in autumn.

The visit will take place "this fall", she said at a press conference, "We are now at the stage of careful elaboration of conditions and details."

Matviyenko said her aides are discussing the exact timetable of the visit with officials of both countries.

Matviyenko noted she would like the timing to guarantee that it will be a real working visit "filled with negotiations and content."