South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and US President George W. Bush have agreed to make joint efforts to hold the six party talks on North Korea’s nuclear programs as soon as possible.

In a telephone call Friday night, President Roh congratulated Mr. Bush on his reelection and said Seoul wants to work closely with Washington for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

President Roh proposed a South Korean-US joint project to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issues, drawing an affirmative response from President Bush.

The two leaders also agreed to further strengthen the South Korean-US alliance on the basis of mutual trust and friendship.

Roh is scheduled to have a one-on-one summit with Bush during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Santiago in late November.

The Roh-Bush summit will likely address the North Korean nuclear issue and ways to consolidate the South Korean-US alliance.