North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has invited Donald Trump to meet him, an invitation the US leader has said he will accept.
The shock announcement was made by senior South Korean officials in Washington, who passed on a letter from the North Korean leader.
They said Mr Kim had also agreed to halt nuclear and missile tests and was “committed to denuclearisation”.
It appears to be a major breakthrough after months of threats and violence.
The South Korean delegation had held unprecedented talks with Mr Kim in Pyongyang earlier this week.
National security adviser Chung Eui-yong, speaking outside the White House after a meeting with Mr Trump, said the leaders were hoping to meet by May.
“I told President Trump that at our meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said he’s committed to denuclearisation,” Mr Chung told a news conference.
“Kim pledged that North Korea will refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests.”
He added: “President Trump appreciated the briefing, and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearisation.”
Ties between the two Koreas have considerably thawed since their joint participation in the Winter Olympics, but many critics expressed scepticism about the North’s sincerity.
Source: BBC