North Korea said yesterday that US President George W. Bush's comment that he did not rule out military force against the North signaled his plans to attack its nuclear facilities.
North Korea, however, had no immediate comment on Bush's remarks Thursday that multilateral dialogue was the best way to deal with the North's nuclear development. Pyongyang has previously insisted on direct US-North Korean talks on the issue.
Bush's remarks are "an undisguised revelation of the US intention to make a pre-emptive strike at the DPRK's nuclear facilities," said KCNA, the North's state-run news agency. DPRK stands for Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
In a recent interview with various US newspapers, Bush said efforts were underway to persuade China, Russia, South Korea and Japan to work with Washington in seeking a diplomatic solution to the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programs.
If such efforts "don't work diplomatically, they'll have to work militarily," Bush said. "And [the] military option is our last choice. ... I believe we can deal with this diplomatically."
Meanwhile, South Korea's defense chief said he opposes moving US troops away from the tense border with North Korea before the dispute over the communist state's nuclear program is resolved.
Cho Young-kil said South Korea will consult with Washington to relocate US troops in South Korea "on a long-term basis, considering the security circumstances on the Korean Peninsula."
US Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld indicated Thursday that he wants US troops stationed near the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea to be moved farther from the heavily defended area, shifted to other countries in the region or brought home.
North Korea yesterday also dismissed international concerns over its nuclear facilities, reiterating that they were for the producing electricity.
"As far as the DPRK's operation of its nuclear facilities is concerned, there is nothing to arouse the US concern nor is there anything to cause the international community to worry about it," said Rodong Sinmun, the North's main newspaper.
Last month, US and South Korean officials said that North Korea has reactivated a 5-megawatt nuclear reactor at Yongbyon that produces raw materials that could be used for atomic weapons. They are concerned that the North might reactivate a reprocessing facility that would enable the production of nuclear weapons within months.
"We would see that as a very serious step up a ladder of escalation that poses great dangers to the world and does not serve North Korea's interests," US Ambassador Thomas Hubbard said yesterday in Seoul.
Hubbard said such a step would lead to further isolation for North Korea, rather than the economic aid and security assurances it wants. He also dismissed Pyongyang's claims that the reactor was for electricity, saying it barely generates enough power to operate itself.
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