Trump has agreed to meet DPRK leader Kim by May

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet Kim Jong-un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), by May at the invitation of Kim, a visiting envoy of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said here on Thursday.

Kim has said the DPRK "will refrain from any further nuclear or missile test," Chung Eui-yong, ROK's top national security adviser, told reporters at the White House.

Kim was also committed to the denuclearization of the DPRK, said Chung, who arrived in Washington Thursday to brief Trump on the outcome of a ROK delegation's meeting with Kim earlier this week.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the United States looks forward to the denuclearization of the DPRK, but will retain all sanctions and maximum pressure against Pyongyang.

The place and time of the meeting will be determined, Sanders added.

On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the United States and the DPRK to hold talks sooner rather than later. He also called for resolving the legitimate security concerns of all sides including the DPRK on an equal footing.

Signs of further detente on the Korean Peninsula have been detected as the DPRK made a tension-easing gesture during the two-day visit by the high-level ROK delegation. Kim, for the first time since he assumed power, personally hosted a dinner for the ROK delegation.

The DPRK showed willingness to talk "candidly" with the United States on issues including denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and normalization of ties with Washington. It also agreed to hold the third inter-Korean summit in late April.