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U.S. nuclear weapons are not presently deployed in South Korea, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun said Friday, dismissing North Korea's repeated claims that the U.S. has been shipping its nuclear arms to the Korean Peninsula.

"There is no U.S. nuclear weapon in South Korea. Deployment of nuclear weapons is not the presupposition for the provision of the U.S. nuclear umbrella," Roh said in a news conference held here after his summit with Prime Minister Helen Clark of New Zealand.

Asked if he is willing to push for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il or visit North Korea, the president responded, "I cannot hold a summit alone. North Korea is not a place to which I can freely travel anytime."

Roh then said the South Korean government's 2000 invitation for Kim to visit Seoul is still valid.

"We have repeatedly asked Kim to fulfill his promise of the year 2000 to visit Seoul. We always welcome his visit," the president said.

Meanwhile, Roh and Clark agreed at their summit to expand bilateral practical cooperation in the fields of politics, economy and the environment and adopted a joint declaration on a strategic partnership.

They also agreed to launch private-level studies on the feasibility of a South Korea-New Zealand free trade agreement (FTA) during the first half of next year.

"The upcoming FTA study will be focused on minimizing damage to Korean farmers and on helping New Zealand avoid discriminative treatment in the South Korean market," Roh said.

In addition, the two leaders agreed to establish a regular consultative body between South Korea and New Zealand to discuss global environmental problems. Following the summit, Roh and Clark observed the signing of a two-way memorandum of understanding on expanding cooperation in the information technology sector.

Wellington, Dec. 8 (Yonhap News)