Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell has begun a landmark trip to North Korea.

The minister is expected to pressure the country over its feared nuclear weapons programme.

Rammell is the first British minister to visit the country.

President Bush placed North Korea in his "axis of evil" and today's visit is being seen as a shift in policy from one of condemnation to cautious engagement.

In December 2002 the communist regime restarted its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.

It then expelled UN nuclear monitors from the country - prompting a fresh diplomatic stand-off.

The West believes North Korea may now possess nuclear weapons.

Before departing on his trip, Rammell said he would be seeking to persuade North Korea to remodel itself as a modern stable state.

But he admitted he was "realistic about our expectations".

“This is the start of a very, very long haul to try to edge North Korea back from complete isolation," he said.

Mr Rammell will point to Libya as a role model for North Korea of a nuclear state that has now come back in from the cold.

"He will also make clear what advantages such a move could mean for North Korea. International aid and help with energy supplies could follow.

“North Korea has a key choice. It can engage in this process and get rid of what it has got and promise not to develop anything further. Then all sorts of positives can come its way. Isolation is the alternative route.”

The current leader KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father, the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994.

The country relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population while maintaining a million strong army.

Amnesty International called on the government to underline the need to improve the human rights of the North Koreans.

"Amnesty International has monitored the human rights situation in North Korea for many years," said a spokesman.

"We have received reports of torture, executions, and the denial of fundamental rights such as the freedom of expression, movement, and access to information. Amnesty International is also particularly concerned about the food crisis in North Korea and its impact on human rights."