Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak called Friday on North Korea to reopen dialogue between the two countries.

Speaking on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the South Korean state, Lee also urged Pyongyang to eliminate its nuclear weapons programme, which he called a "source of distrust and conflict."

"I am not going to give up the dream of both Koreas living well together," Lee told an audience of 25,000 people in Seoul.

The most important prerequisite for realizing this dream is creating permanent peace on the Korean peninsula, Lee said.

Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak asked China Wednesday to continue playing an active role in finding a solution for the North Korean nuclear dispute, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi in Seoul, Lee also expressed hope that Beijing would help improve relations between the two Koreas, the agency said.

China's President Hu Jintao plans to visit Seoul at the end of August.

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.

Seoul- South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on Friday urged North Korea to again take up reconciliation talks with Seoul in the wake of recent progress in nuclear talks with Pyongyang.

Seoul - In an apparent move to appease South Koreans over the lifting of a ban on imports of US beef, President Lee Myung Bak on Monday replaced three ministers in his fledgling cabinet.

Seoul -