WASHINGTON — North Korea has told the United States that its leader, Kim Jong-un, is willing to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, administration officials said on Sunday, the first direct confirmation that he intends to participate in an extraordinary meeting with President Trump about his nuclear program.

The North delivered its message in secret talks between its representatives and American officials as they prepare for the summit meeting, which is expected to take place next month.

South Korean officials had informed Mr. Trump in March that the North Korean leader wanted to meet with him for nuclear talks — an invitation that the president enthusiastically accepted — but Pyongyang has been officially silent about the meeting.

On Sunday, the administration officials said the United States government had been working to lay the groundwork for the meeting, but would offer no details about it, such as where it might take place.