South Korea said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump supports Seoul's plan to provide humanitarian food aid to North Korea after the United Nations reported the country had suffered its worst harvest in decades, leaving many there chronically short of food.

Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke by telephone for 35 minutes on Tuesday and discussed ways to continue dialogue with North Korea in spite of its testing of weapons last week, a statement from the South Korean presidency said.

"The two leaders exchanged their views on a recent report on North Korea's food situation," the statement said. "President Trump assessed that South Korea's food provision to North Korea as a humanitarian effort will be a very timely and positive measure and he supported this."