Seoul - South Korean President Lee Myung Bak said he has no objections to a potential meeting between US president-elect Barack Obama and North Korea leader Kim Jong Il.

He said in an interview with the Chosun Ilbo newspaper that appeared Tuesday that he would expect any such meeting would help to abolish North Korea's nuclear weapons programme.

He added that there was a fear in South Korea that it could be shunted off to the side if a US-North Korean summit is held.

"Some fear such a summit could exclude the South, but I'm not concerned about that," Lee said.

South Korea's president, who took office in February, said he expected Washington and Seoul could "fully" discuss the North Korean nuclear programme once Obama is inaugurated in January and said he believed Obama would act "very prudently."

Obama indicated during his campaign that he was willing to meet Kim, a position that presented a turnaround from President George W Bush's policy.

Lee said in the newspaper interview that he was also ready to meet Kim at any time in the interest of "joint prosperity of the two Koreas and honest dialogue."

As for speculation over Kim's health, Lee told the newspaper that he understood Kim still controlled the government.

Kim, 66, has not made any public appearances for weeks, leading to rumours that he might be ill. South Korean intelligence said he suffered a stroke in mid-August. (dpa)