U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters on Sunday that Washington and Pyongyang are likely to hold working-level talks as early as in mid-July, adding the two sides are "further along" compared with a year ago.

Pompeo joined U.S. President Donald Trump on June 30 for a meeting with Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Koreas, where Trump shook hands with Kim before setting foot on the DPRK territory – becoming the first sitting U.S. president to do so.