President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun have agreed to work together to convince North Korea to give-up its nuclear weapons program. The White House says it is prepared to have further multi-lateral talks with North Korea.
It was President Bush's first meeting with the new South Korean leader and after a half-hour meeting in the Oval Office, the men spoke to reporters in the Rose Garden before a private dinner.
President Bush says they agreed they "will not tolerate" nuclear weapons in North Korea. Mr.Bush said,"We of course discussed the need to have a nuclear weapons free Korean peninsula. I assured the president we will continue to work to achieve a peaceful solution."
South Korea wants President Bush to rule out a possible military response. The White House says it is keeping all of its option open including economic sanctions following last month's talks between U.S., North Korean, and Chinese officials in Beijing.
The president's National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice says Washington is prepared to hold further multi-lateral talks but will not give in to what she called North Korean "blackmail."