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US President Donald Trump says the date and location have been set for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, building suspense for the unprecedented talks, as South Korea says it will oppose a withdrawal of US troops from the area.
Mr Trump did not give a precise date or location for the North Korea summit and White House officials did not immediately provide further clarity, but said the meeting could take place in the coming weeks.
Mr Trump is to push North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
The demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea, and Singapore, are among the top choices being considered for the summit.
Mr Trump this week expressed a preference for the DMZ but also said Singapore was possible.
The Peace House at the DMZ was the venue for a meeting last month between Mr Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The White House said Mr Trump would host Mr Moon at the White House on May 22, in talks aimed at demonstrating allied unity before the summit.
The Moon visit was announced after Mr Trump's national security adviser John Bolton met with his South Korean counterpart, Chung Eui-yong, at the White House on Friday.
Mr Chung told reporters afterward that it was "unacceptable that the issue of the US Forces Korea keeps being raised".
The New York Times said Mr Trump had asked the Pentagon for troop withdrawal options, although Mr Trump said it was not true and Mr Bolton called the report "utter nonsense".
"Now, I have to tell you, at some point into the future, I would like to save the money, but troops are not on the table," Mr Trump told reporters.
Mr Trump told the National Rifle Association's annual convention in Dallas he had toned down his rhetoric in anticipation of the talks after labelling Mr Kim "Little Rocket Man" last year and threatening him with "fire and fury".
"I won't use that rhetoric now. Now I'm trying to calm it down a little bit," he said.
The US Government is looking into reports that three Americans arrested in recent years in North Korea had recently been relocated from a labour camp to a hotel near Pyongyang, as expectations grow that they will be released before the summit.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said if North Korea were to free the three Americans ahead of the summit "we certainly would see this as a sign of good will".
Mr Trump suggested activity was underway involving the captives.
"We're having very substantive talks with North Korea and a lot of things have already happened with respect to the hostages. I think you're going to see very good things," Mr Trump said.
Reuters
Topics: world-politics, donald-trump, unrest-conflict-and-war, korea-democratic-peoples-republic-of, united-states
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