Bush acts to firm ties to South Korea; Two days of talks come as nation agrees to lift ban on U.S. beef imports.(Main)

Byline: DEB RIECHMANN - Associated Press

CAMP DAVID, Md. - President Bush and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak opened two days of talks on Friday focusing on North Korea's unfulfilled pledge to disclose its nuclear activities and a U.S. free-trade deal with South Korea that faces an uphill battle in Congress.

Bush hopes to strengthen sometimes-shaky U.S.-South Korea ties under Lee, a pro-American conservative who took office in late February and made the United States his first overseas trip. Their get-to-know-you meeting took on renewed importance when South Korea announced Friday it would lift its ban on U.S. beef imports.

South Korea was the …