Breakthrough seen after months of US-DPRK rhetoric on weapons

US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet face-to-face with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong-un by May, in what could be the biggest breakthrough in the tense relationship with Pyongyang.

The planned summit was announced by South Korean national security director, Chung Eui-yong, who was in Washington to brief the latest inter-Korea talks held early this week.

"President Trump appreciated the briefing and said he would meet Kim Jong-un by May to achieve permanent denuclearization," he told reporters outside the White House.

Trump was apparently delighted by the briefing.

"Kim Jong-un talked about denuclearization with the South Korean Representatives, not just a freeze. Also, no missile testing by North Korea during this period of time. Great progress being made but sanctions will remain until an agreement is reached. Meeting being planned!" he said in a tweet.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on her Twitter account that the place and time will be determined.

"We look forward to the denuclearization of NK. In the meantime all sanctions & maximum pressure must remain," she tweeted.

Early on Thursday, Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged the US and DPRK to conduct dialogue as soon as possible.

All relevant sides, particularly the US and the DPRK, should make contact and conduct dialogue as soon as possible based on the "dual-track approach", advance denuclearization of the peninsula and promote peace mechanisms, Wang said on the sidelines of the ongoing annual session of the National People's Congress in Beijing.

"There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it will not be all smooth sailing ahead of us," Wang said, as various disruptions could occur when tensions ease off.

Earlier on Thursday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the US is "a long way from negotiations" with the DPRK, which earlier this week made an offer to discuss denuclearization.

"I think as President Trump has indicated, (there are) potentially positive signals coming from North Korea by way of their intra-Korean dialogue with South Korea," Tillerson, who is in Ethiopia on his first-ever Africa tour, told reporters.

But "in terms of direct talks ... we're a long way from negotiations, we just need to be very clear-eyed and realistic about it," Agence France-Presse quoted the top US diplomat as saying.