South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said yesterday that it was important to strengthen the efforts being made to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue in a diplomatic way, so as not to escalate tensions on the Korean Peninsula, said the South Korean Presidential Office in a statement.

Roh made the remarks during an 80-minute meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who arrived here earlier in the day.

During the meeting, Roh explained South Korea's position to Rice the inter-Korean economic cooperation projects, especially the inter-Korean industrial complex in the DPRK's Kaesong and the tourism program at the DPRK's Mount Geum Gang.

The two sides agreed that the nuclear test conducted by the DPRK is a grave threat to the stability and peace for both South Korea and the region, and also a challenge to the Non-proliferation Treaty.

Roh and Rice agreed that sanctions against the DPRK under the UN resolution is necessary to get the DPRK back to the six-party talks and to implement the joint statement made at the round of talks in September last year, where Pyongyang promised to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for a security guarantee and international assistance.

The statement added that South Korea and the United States agreed to carry out close cooperation in taking coordinated measures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

During her visit to Seoul, Rice also met with South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon. Later on Thursday, Rice joined a trilateral meeting with Ban and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who arrived here on Thursday afternoon to discuss the implementation of the UN Security Council's resolution on the DPRK's nuclear test.

Rice is scheduled to travel to Beijing on Friday.