Malacanang welcomed on Saturday the planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

In a press briefing in Iloilo, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated President Rodrigo Duterte's hope that the problem in the Korean Peninsula would be resolved peacefully.

"We welcome this dialogue between the head of North Korea and President Trump," he said.

He recalled that during the country's hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit last year, Duterte had repeatedly said that it was not in the interest of the region if a war breaks out.

"That's why he was expecting that the disputes between America and North Korea would be discussed. And now that they will talk, this is a reason for the President to be happy, and this also gives hope that the controversy in the Korean Peninsula will be given solution," Roque explained.

Trump has accepted Kim's invitation for a meeting.

There was no decision yet as to when and where the talks could take place.

According to reports, the US has been deliberating over the logistics and location of the meeting.

The United Nations and the US have been enforcing sanctions against North Korea for its failure to abandon its nuclear program, considered a threat to the world. Celerina Monte/DMS