South Korean President Moon Jae-in called Trump's happy birthday to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a "great idea".

"Many people are concerned about President Kim Jong-un's provocative moves on his birthday. Instead, President Trump sent his birthday wishes to Kim to confirm his willingness to negotiate. is a great idea, "South Korean President Moon Jae-in told the annual press conference today.

On January 10, a South Korean official said that Trump asked Seoul to transfer his birthday wishes to the North Korean leader. The US administration said that Kim was born on January 8, 1984, so the North Korean leader may be 36 years old this year.

North Korean officials on 11 January announced they had received Trump's birthday wishes to President Kim. This is considered the most official confirmation of North Korea about the birth of Kim Jong-un, because the country has never published that information.

However, North Korea made it clear in the statement that it received direct "personal letters" from Trump rather than through South Korea and said Seoul was "conceited" when trying to interfere with US-North Korea relations.

The announcement also ridiculed Seoul for apparently not knowing Pyongyang had its own channel of communication with Washington. Despite the North Korean response, Moon repeatedly insisted that the US sending birthday wishes to Kim was evidence that denuclearization talks were not over.

"North Korea has made it clear that the door of the negotiations has not yet closed by declaring that Pyongyang will return to the talks when their requirements are met," Moon said of the North's response.

"The US-North Korea talks are on hold, but I can confirm that President Trump and President Kim will continue to trust each other and maintain their efforts," Moon said.

Asked whether Trump's decision to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani complicates his efforts to persuade Kim to give up nuclear weapons, President Moon once again asserted that Trump's happy birthday to Kim was a sign. Good signals indicate that the US is committed to negotiating with North Korea.

Nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea have been in deadlock since the summit in Hanoi in February. North Korea declared a "deadline" by the end of 2019 for the US to make concessions, if not want Binh to take a "new path". However, the "deadline" of North Korea has passed without any provocative moves from Pyongyang, although Kim has warned the world will soon see the "new strategic weapon" of the country.