Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak spoke out against taking military action against North Korea's announced rocket launch in an interview published Monday.

All countries except for China and Russia have spoken out against the launch North Korea has slated between April 4 and 8, Lee told Britain's Financial Times newspaper.

Wellington  - South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak will make an official visit to New Zealand on March 3-4, Prime Minister John Key announced on Wednesday.

Key said they would discuss improving economic links between the two countries which are preparing to negotiate a free trade pact.

He said South Korea was an important bilateral and regional partner for New Zealand and his country's sixth-largest export market.

Lee will speak at a New Zealand-Korea Economic Forum which will discuss strengthening ties between the two business communities.

Seoul - Lee Myung Bak on Tuesday became the first South Korean president in five years to preside over a national security meeting in the wake of a series of threats from North Korea.

The focus of the annual gathering - which brought together 200 military, intelligence, security and local government officials - is defending South Korea from "enemy infiltration and provocation of limited scale," the Defence Ministry said.

South Korea fears tensions with its Stalinist neighbour could escalate into a limited military altercation, possibly over the two countries' contested border in the Yellow Sea.

Seoul  - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak's nominee for national police chief withdrew his nomination Tuesday because of criticism over a deadly police raid in January.

Kim Seok Ki also resigned from his present post as Seoul's police chief, saying he held himself "morally responsible" for the January 20 operation in the capital in which six people died.

Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on Monday named new ministers for finance and North Korean policy as his country has been hit hard by the global economic crisis and has seen tensions rise with its northern neighbour.

The cabinet shake-up came nearly 11 months into Lee's administration as his government has been criticized in the wake of the economic downturn and worsening relations with North Korea.

Seoul  - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak proposed a three-nation financial summit this month with Japan and China to try to limit the effects of the global financial crisis, a ruling party spokesman said Monday.

Lee would like the meeting to take place at the Asia-Europe Summit, which is to be held October 24-25 in Beijing, the Grand National Party spokesman said after talks with Lee and party chairman Park Hee Tae in Seoul.

Lee said the three neighbours working together could deal with the crisis because East Asia is the largest holder of currency reserves in the world.