Seoul - US President George W Bush met Wednesday in Seoul with South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and called for North Korea to meet its denuclearization pledge.

"I'm concerned about its uranium enrichment activities as well as its nuclear testing and proliferation, its ballistic missile programs," Bush at a news conference after meeting with Lee.

"The best way to approach and answer those concerns is for there to be strong verification measures," Bush said.

In Bush's third meeting with conservative Lee the two presidents said the US and South Korea will integrate the communist state with the international community if, among other conditions, Pyongyang allows international inspections of its nuclear disarmament.

The US has said it would remove communist North Korea from a list of state sponsors of terrorism as early as August 11 if a rigorous verification process is established, however, discussions have again stalled.

North Korea has been offered economic and humanitarian aid if it dismantles its nuclear weapons programme. Negotiations with the US, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan have ongoing for years.

The two conservative leaders also reaffirmed that the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) will boost trade, increase economic growth and create jobs in both the United States and Korea.

After meeting with US soldiers, Bush will leave South Korea for Thailand on Wednesday. He is to take part in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing on Friday. (dpa)