Seoul, Jan 14 (IANS): South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that it was premature to be pessimisic about the Korean peace process, pointing out the relatively good personal relationship between the leaders of North Korea and the US.

In his New Year's press conference at the presidential palace, he said: "I think we are not at the stage for now to be pessimistic about South-North dialogue and North Korea-US dialogue, although it's not a stage be optimistic," reports Yonhap News Agency.

He mentioned US President Donald Trump's birthday greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week, which were sent in a personal letter, while concerns about Pyongyang's provocations were running high.

Moon called the letter, through which Trump emphasized his relationship with Kim once again, "very positive" and a "good idea".

"North Korea accepted it and immediately released a response. It stressed the relationship between the two leaders," he said.

Even if dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington was not active, Trump and Kim were maintaining mutual trust, with efforts for the resumption of talks under way, Moon said, adding that his government is continuing a push for expanding inter-Korean cooperation with an "optimistic prospect".