North Korea has lashed out at President Bush ahead of his upcoming visit to South Korea, accusing him of war-mongering.

A commentary carried by North Korea's official media calls Mr. Bush "the most bellicose and heinous" U.S. president and warns his trip will increase the danger of war on the divided Korean peninsula. It also accuses Mr. Bush of using his trip to assess the readiness of U.S. forces in South Korea for a war.

Mr. Bush will visit the South Korean capital, Seoul, next week during an Asian tour that will also take him to Japan and China.

On Tuesday Secretary of State Colin Powell told a Senate panel Mr. Bush will make an offer for unconditional dialogue with North Korea during his trip.

Mr. Bush angered North Korea last month when he referred to the communist nation as part of an "axis of evil" that supports terrorism.

North Korea denounced the speech, saying the United States is using its charge as a pretext for keeping troops posted in South Korea. Pyongyang also said Mr. Bush poses a "grave threat to world peace and stability."

Mr. Powell said he hoped North Korea would respond positively President's Bush's offer of dialogue. But Mr. Powell also said the President will "not shrink" from pointing out the true nature of the North Korean government.

Secretary Powell said President Bush will make clear next week in Seoul that he hopes North Koreans will some day enjoy the kind of life that the people in the South do, and that a way can be found, as Mr. Powell put it, "for those two nations to again be one."

Some information for this report provided by AP.

Email this article to a friend
Printer Friendly Version