AKIPRESS.COM - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has publicly acknowledged talks with the US for the first time, BBCreported citing state media reports.

US President Donald Trump agreed last month to talks with Mr Kim, but Pyongyang had been silent on the summit.

Mr Kim mentioned the "prospect" of dialogue between North Korea and the US at a meeting of party officials.

Details of the proposed meeting, including timing, remain unclear.

On Monday, Mr Trump said he planned to meet Mr Kim in "May or early June." It followed reports from unnamed US administration officials that the US was in contact with North Korea in preparation for the talks.

The unexpected announcement in March that talks were to take place so swiftly surprised many observers, who said summits of this kind typically need months of planning and negotiations.

If the talks go ahead, it would be the first time a sitting US president has met a North Korean leader.

Mr Kim did not explicitly mention a summit with the US president at the Workers Party meeting on Monday.