(LEAD) Trump, Kim agree to meet by May: Seoul envoy

(ATTN: UPDATES with details from 4th para)

WASHINGTON, March 8 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have agreed to meet by May, a South Korean envoy said Thursday.

South Korea's national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, told reporters at the White House that Trump told him he would accept Kim's invitation to meet with him as soon as possible.

The announcement comes after a year of tensions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Kim said he is "committed to denuclearization" and will "refrain from any further nuclear or missile tests," said Chung, who led a five-member presidential delegation to a meeting with the North Korean leader in Pyongyang on Monday.

The Koreans' meeting was the first of its kind since Kim took power in late 2011. The two sides also agreed to hold their first summit in more than a decade in April.

Chung said he expressed to Trump South Korean President Moon Jae-in's "personal gratitude" for his leadership on the North Korea issue.

"His leadership and his maximum pressure policy together with international solidarity brought us to this juncture," Chung said.

hague@yna.co.kr
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