Washington: US President Donald Trump will meet for the second time with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un around the end of February, the White House said Friday, after a top general from Pyongyang paid a rare visit to Washington.

Vice-chairman Kim Yong Chol, a right-hand man to the North Korean strongman, met the embattled President at the White House for an unusually long 90 minutes as the countries seek a denuclearisation accord that could ease decades of hostility.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said that Mr Trump — who has opined that he and Kim Jong Un fell “in love” after last year’s landmark first summit — would again meet the North Korean leader “near the end of February” at a location that has been decided.

“We picked a country,” Mr Trump told reporters, without giving more details.

A Vietnamese government told AFP that “logistical preparations” were under way to host the encounter, most likely in the capital Hanoi or coastal city of Danang.