Washington: US President Donald Trump has said many North Koreans were literally in tears when he stepped into their country before his historic meeting with Kim Jong-un in the demilitarized zone dividing the peninsula.

Trump travelled to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) with South Korean President Moon Jae-In and met with troops stationed there before meeting Kim at a marker delineating the border between the two states.

The North Korean leader then invited Trump to cross into his country. Trump accepted his offer and walked over the demarcation line, becoming the only sitting US president to set foot inside North Korea.

After posing for photos, Trump and Kim held a bilateral meeting at the Freedom House in border town of Panmunjom, South Korea.

"I actually stepped into North Korea and they say it's a very historic moment," he told American soldiers at Osan Air Base after his meeting with Chairman Kim.

"Many people, I noticed, from Korea were literally in tears," he added.

Trump on Sunday returned to the White House.

The New York Times described the meeting between Trump and Kim as a masterpiece of drama.

"President Trump's largely improvised third meeting on Sunday with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, was a masterpiece of drama, the kind of made-for-TV spectacle that Mr Trump treasures," the daily said.

Trump and Kim held a historic first summit in Singapore in June, which concluded with a vague joint statement where Kim pledged to work toward denuclearisation.

Then they met in Hanoi, Vietnam in February, but talks broke down without any joint agreement as Kim pushed for sanctions relief and the US pushed for denuclearisation. P