White House confirms Trump letter to N.K. leader

Kim's envoy, Kim Yong-chol, delivered a letter to Trump last Friday when the two met at the White House to discuss details of a potential second summit.

"The President responded to Chairman Kim's letter," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement, without elaborating.

Hours earlier the North's state media reported that Kim expressed great satisfaction upon receiving Trump's letter, which was conveyed by the envoy.

He was also quoted as touting Trump's "positive way of thinking" and vowing to reach their mutual goal "step by step."

The two leaders are planning to meet in late February at a location to be announced at a later date, the White House announced after Kim Yong-chol's meeting with Trump.

Both sides are under pressure to produce tangible results after the first summit in Singapore in June yielded a vague commitment to "work toward" complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees for Pyongyang.