U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) shakes hands with South Korea's President Lee Myung-bak at the Blue House in Seoul June 28, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday that the six-party talks are the most effective framework to resolve the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and he supports the mechanism.

Lee made the remarks during a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice during which he expressed support for the six-party talks on the nuclear issue, reported the Yonhap news agency.

Lee reaffirmed Seoul's commitment to close cooperation with Washington in persuading the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to abandon all of its nuclear programs, Yonhap said.

Rice briefed the president on the development in the denuclearization progress of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

At a press conference after talking with South Korean foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan on Saturday, Rice said she expected the DPRK to live up to the obligations set forth under the multilateral nuclear deal signed last year.

"At the end of this we have to have the abandonment of all programs, weapons and materials," she said.

She also said it was important to have a proper protocol to verify the DPRK's declaration of nuclear program make on Friday.

Rice arrived in Seoul earlier in the day after attending a meeting of the Group of Eight (G-8) foreign ministers in Japan.

(Xinhua News Agency June 29, 2008)