United States President Donald Trump has welcomed North Korea's plan to dismantle its nuclear test site later this month.

Trump, who is set to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next month in Singapore, hailed the North's announcement that it will hold a ceremony for dismantling its Punggye-ri nuclear test site between May 23 and 25.

Trump tweeted "Thank you," calling the plan a "very smart and gracious gesture."

The announcement came soon after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that if Pyongyang takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on par with South Korea.

Following the inter-Korean summit, the South Korean presidential office said that Kim was willing to disclose the dismantling process to international experts, but the North's statement Saturday did not mention allowing experts on the site.

Regarding the verification issue, the White House told Yonhap News on Saturday that it welcomes the North's statement, but full inspections and verification by international experts are essential steps in the process of the North's denuclearization.

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