The historic summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be held in Singapore, according to CNN.
Singapore has been considered the most likely location for the meeting, amid anticipation for the unprecedented talks.
Kim Jong-un hailed the planned meeting with Donald Trump as a "historic" opportunity during talks with America's top diplomat Mike Pompeo in Pyongyang, according to state media Thursday.
Kim, who is at the centre of a whirlwind of diplomacy as the international community looks to curtail the North's nuclear programme, said his summit with Trump "would be a historic meeting" and an "excellent first step".
He said it would help towards improving the situation on the Korean peninsula and the "building of a good future", in comments published on North Korea's official KCNA news agency.
It was the first time Kim is known to have acknowledged the planned meeting with Trump, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
CNN reports White House administration officials have been told to move forward with plans for the summit in Singapore, citing sources 'familiar with the plans'.
People watch a television news report showing pictures of US President Donald Trump (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a railway station in Seoul. Source: Getty
On Wednesday Trump said he would officially announce the time and location in three days.
Trump ruled out the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on the Korean Border as a potential location.
Singapore and the DMZ are the only two places Trump has mentioned publicly as possible venues.
Pompeo was in the North to discuss arrangements for the high-stakes summit, expected within weeks, as well as to secure the release of three Americans detained in North Korea.
Kim said he had granted "amnesty" to the three men "who have been detained in the DPRK for their anti-DPRK hostilities", according to KCNA.
The move is seen as a diplomatic victory for Washington and removes the last major obstacle to the summit between the Cold War foes.
- Additional reporting Natasha Christian
