US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will meet by May, and Kim has pledged to refrain from new nuclear weapons and missile testing, a South Korean official in charge of national security said Thursday, and confirmed the White House.
"President Trump said he would meet with Kim Jong Un to May," Chung Eui-yong said, announcing that Trump reported about a visit to North Korea.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump would "accept a call to meet Kim, and time and place should still be determined."
"Kim promised that South Korea would refrain from further nuclear or missile testing," White House reporters Chung Eui-yong, the head of the South Korean National Security Bureau, after the South Korean delegation reported to US officials and the Trump About Talks between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Kim expressed the desire to "meet Trump as soon as possible," Chung said, adding that Trump thanked the South Korean delegation for information and "said he would meet with Kim Jong Un in May to achieve denuclearization" .
Chung said that South Korea and Trump were optimistic about the continuation of the diplomatic process to explore the possibilities of a peaceful solution.
The South Korean official also added that the pressure on North Korea will continue until the words are confirmed by concrete actions and announced that the joint military exercises of the US and South Korea planned for April will be held.
The US will not agree to anything less than permanent denuclearizatio
Japanese Defense Minister Onuner Onoder, who is responsible for the announcement from Washington, said North Korea must commit to completely give up nuclear weapons in order to hold meaningful talks with Pyongyang.
Trump has talked to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abeo about the latest developments, and the US will not agree to anything less than permanent denuclearization, an unnamed Trump administration official told Reuters.
Abe told reporters on Friday that in a telephone conversation with Trump he repeated that the international noise must continue with maximum pressure on Pyongyang and that he hopes to visit the United States next month and talk about Trump about North Korea.
"We welcome the change of North Korea's position," Abe said.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said earlier that "talk talks" with Pyongyang could be possible but that the denuclearization negotiations are likely to be far behind.
Chung and the head of South Korean National Intelligence Service Suh Hoon arrived earlier in the Washington quarter to share North Korea's views on possible negotiations with Washington and the possibility of Pyongyang suspend nuclear tests if security forces in North Korea were given security.