US President George W Bush arrived in South Korea Tuesday, the first stop on his week-long visit to Asia.

A meeting with conservative South Korean President Lee Myung Bak on Wednesday, the third this year, will kick off a series of political meetings in Seoul.

The future of the strategic alliance between the two countries and the progress made in talks over North Korea's controversial nuclear weapons programme are to dominate the talks.

Bush's short visit is accompanied by extremely strict security measures in South Korea's capital. Citizens' groups announced protests against a controversial deal allowing US beef imports back into the country.

Many South Koreans fear US beef may constitute a health hazard because of earlier cases of mad cow disease found in imported beef. South Korea's government was shaken earlier this year by weeks of protests after striking a deal with the US on beef imports.

On the other hand, several thousand members of conservative and Christian groups assembled Tuesday evening in the city centre for counter-demonstrations welcoming Bush and his delegation, South Korean TV stations reported.

After meeting with US soldiers, Bush will leave South Korea for Thailand on Wednesday. He is to take part in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Summer Games in Beijing on Friday.