Font size: 
It was the first time for leaders of the two allies to press North Korea over its human rights violations in a documented agreement, officials here say.
“The two presidents reaffirmed their commitment to improving the human rights situation in North Korea and shared the view that in the process of normalizing relations, meaningful progress should be made on improving North Korea's human rights record," said the joint statement issued at the end of the summit in Seoul.
The statement said the United States and South Korea are ready to help the North emerge from its isolationist shell if the communist country improves human rights conditions and gives up its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Bush and Lee "made it clear that they are committed to helping North Korea integrate into the international community and thereby partake in the peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia," it said.
The U.S. side had wanted stronger phrases on the North's human rights violations in the joint statement but agreed to tone them down, reflecting Seoul's concerns that it may further worsen inter-Korean relations and fuel cross-border tensions, according to local news reports.
Bush said earlier that he would bring up human rights issues related to the North, including China's repatriation of North Korean defectors, during his Asian trip this week. He said he would also raise human rights and religious issues when he meets President Hu Jintao of China during his visit to Beijing for the Olympic Games, which open on Friday.
In a joint press conference, Bush again expressed his concerns about human rights violations in the North. "The human rights abuses inside the country still exist and persist," he said. “I'm concerned about North Korea's human rights record."
Analysts here said Bush's remarks indicate his administration would place an improvement in the North's human rights record as a condition to normalization of diplomatic ties between Pyongyang and Washington.
The United States has launched a working group with the North on the establishment of diplomatic relations as part of the six-nation agreement reached on Feb. 13 last year, under which Pyongyang agreed to disable its existing nuclear facilities in exchange for 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent energy aid.
Under the deal, the Bush administration announced on June 26 that he had notified Congress of his intent to take North Korea off the terrorism blacklist in 45 days, a timeline that ends Aug. 12.
"President Bush raised the human rights issue to pressure the North at a time when his administration is in the process to delist Pyongyang," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul.
Kim and other analysts expect a furious response from the North to the U.S. human rights challenge. Pyongyang has already cut off all dialogue channels with Seoul over its charges of human rights abuses.
At Wednesday's summit, Bush also called for strong verification of the North's nuclear declaration, pressing Pyongyang to agree to a verification protocol that would include its plutonium program, highly enriched uranium activities and proliferation efforts.
"I'm concerned about its uranium enrichment activities as well as its nuclear testing and proliferation, its ballistic missile programs," Bush told the joint press conference. "The best way to approach and answer those concerns is for there to be strong verification measures," he said.
Bush, who arrived in Seoul Thursday evening, was greeted by anti-U.S. and pro-U.S. rallies. Some 7,000 protesters took to the streets in central Seoul to oppose Bush's visit, chanting slogans such as "No War on Iran," "Bush Out" and "Bush, No Mad Cow," which referred to a recent U.S. beef import deal that raised public concerns about the animal disease.
The demonstrators, mainly civic activists, hurled bottles and garbage during scuffles with riot police, who fired water cannons to stop the protesters.
Just 300 meters away, about 15,000 people gathered under large South Korean and U.S. flags held aloft by balloons in a pro-America rally. The demonstrators, mostly Christian prayer groups and Korean War veterans, waived placards that read: "Welcome President Bush," "Together as One" and "Strengthen Alliance."
There were no clashes between pro-Bush and anti-Bush demonstrators, as 24,000 police were dispatched to guard against violence.
Bush left for Thailand later Wednesday afternoon after a brief meeting with U.S. service members stationed in South Korea. Some 28,000 American troops have been stationed in South Korea against North Korea's 1.2-million-strong army.
