The pair also discussed the standoff with Iran over its nuclear programme, tensions in northeast Asia, UN reforms and aid for developing nations during the 40-minute meeting, they said.

"Secretary General Annan said he supports the six-way talks aimed at resolving North Korea's nuclear issue and expects the talks to resume as early as possible," Roh's office said in a statement.

Annan, in Seoul since Sunday on the first leg of a five-nation Asian tour, Monday demanded urgent action to end the nuclear standoffs with Pyongyang and Tehran after talks with South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon.

On the same day US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Iran and North Korea to follow the example of Libya in scrapping their nuclear ambitions.

Annan demanded Monday the six-party talks -- bringing together the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan -- resume early and insisted that the Iranian issue be resolved quickly to avert a potential flood of nuclear proliferation.

The nuclear disarmament talks have been in limbo since North Korea announced a boycott last November in response to US financial sanctions the regime imposed on the regime.

"President Roh expressed hope that the six-way talks should proceed well," presidential spokesman Jung Tae-Ho said.

The UN chief also called for an end to tension between Japan and its two Asian neighbors, South Korea and China, over Tokyo's wartime aggression as well as territorial disputes.

But Ro blamed Japan for the problems and told Annan that he was not optimistic about an improvement in bilateral ties.

"President Roh said ... the issue would not be easy to resolve as it results from historical views by some Japanese politicians," said a statement from Roh's office.

Beijing and Seoul are outraged by Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's annual visits to the Yasukuni shrine, which honors war dead including war criminals, and by Tokyo's approval of nationalist history books.

China has curtailed high-level dialogue with Japan, and Roh has called off regular summit meetings with Koizumi.

Annan, who steps down after his second five-year term on December 31, is also seeking Asian support for reforms to the United Nations, whose 191 members are divided over how to reshape the organization.

Expansion of the 15-nation UN Security Council was one of several key reforms for which Annan had hoped to gain support.

China, the only Asian nation with veto power on the council, last year blocked Japan's bid for a permanent seat, citing their ongoing bilateral dispute. South Korea has also publicly opposed Japan's bid.

Later Tuesday, Annan was to leave for Japan, the second biggest financial contributor to the UN after the United States, to discuss UN reforms.

China's foreign ministry said Annan would meet President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan and other Chinese leaders during his visit to Beijing, due to begin on Friday.

Annan is also due to visit Thailand and Vietnam.

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