WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (CGTN) -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed "important commitments" made by Pyongyang during Wednesday's inter-Korean summit, adding that Washington was ready to begin negotiating immediately to achieve the denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "by January 2021."

In a statement, Pompeo said he spoke with his DPRK counterpart Wednesday morning and invited him to meet in New York next week on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

The statement came after DPRK leader Kim Jong Un agreed to make a historic visit to Seoul soon and close a missile testing site in front of international inspectors in a meeting with South Korea President Moon Jae-in.