Relations between Seoul and London were "probably as strong as they have ever been", Blair told a press conference following the meeting at Downing Street, on the second day of Roh's state visit to Britain.

"Can I right from the outset say what an immensely constructive and good engagement it has been," Blair said in an opening statement, detailing areas of discussion such as Iraq, science and trade.

"Of course, we looked at international issues, in particular the six-party talks with North Korea, and dealing with the nuclear issue there," he added.

Blair said he had "thanked the president for his work on those talks and said how important it is that they succeed and come to a conclusion that makes not just the Korean peninsula safer, but the whole of the world."

The talks to resolve the two-year-long crisis over North Korea's nuclear programme, involving South Korea as well as China, Japan, Russia and the United States, are currently stalled ahead of a new round of meetings, as yet not scheduled.

North Korea has been at loggerheads with the international community since October 2002, when Washington accused the country of running a covert uranium-enrichment programme.

Roh, who repeated his regular plea that the crisis be resolved peacefully, also played down the prospect of any summit between his country and its reclusive Stalinist neighbour to the north while the six-party process still existed.

"While the six-party talks are going on, I think there is a very low possibility of a summit taking place," he said in response to a question.

"If the six-party talks do not go well, then we may need another measure."

As well as Korea, Blair and Roh talked about Iraq, where their countries respectively have around 8,500 and 2,800 troopsl deployed as part of the US-led military coalition.

"They do a magnificent job. Thank you, Mr President, for their help and contribution," Blair said of the South Korean soldiers in Iraq.

It was down to business for Roh following the pomp of the first day of his trip -- the first-ever full state visit to Britain by a South Korean president -- when he and his wife Kwon Yang-Sook were feted by Queen Elizabeth II.

The monarch paid tribute to the dead of the 1950-1953 Korean war as she hosted a lavish banquet for the couple at Buckingham Palace.

Later Thursday, Roh was due to meet British business leaders investing in his country, followed by a banquet hosted by the ceremonial heads of London's financial district, the City.

Roh will leave Britain on Friday for Poland, where he will meet President Aleksander Kwasniewski on a state visit marking the 15th anniversary of normalisation of bilateral ties.

On the last leg of his European trip, Roh will fly to Paris for talks with French President Jacques Chirac.

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