ALONG AXIS OF EVIL

By George Gedda ~ The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- In a startling revelation, North Korea has told the United States it has a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of an 1994 agreement with the United States, the White House said Wednesday night.

Spokesman Sean McCormack called the North Korean disclosure a serious infringement of the agreement, under which Pyongyang promised not to develop nuclear weapons.

U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said North Korea told U.S. officials that it was no longer bound by the anti-nuclear agreement.

The 1994 commitment had raised hopes for a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, but that hope is dashed for the time being, and relations with the United States are back to square one.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said late Wednesday the United States had been ready to offer North Korea economic and other benefits if Pyongyang agreed to curb missile programs, end threats and change its behavior in other ways.

"In light of our concerns about the North's nuclear weapons program, however, we are unable to pursue this approach," Boucher said.

He said Undersecretary of State John Bolton and other officials are traveling to the region to exchange views with allies.

It was not clear from the remarks by McCormack and other officials whether the United States believes the North actually has the bomb or whether it is still being developed.

There was no immediate reaction from North Korea to the White House announcement.

The two countries had just resumed high-level security talks less than two weeks ago for the first time in two years. It was during those discussions that North Korea informed the United States of its nuclear activities.

Seeking peace

McCormack said the United States is consulting with it allies, South Korea and Japan, and with members of Congress on next steps.

"We seek a peaceful resolution of this situation," McCormack said. "Everyone in the region has a stake in this issue and no peaceful nation wants to see a nuclear-armed North Korea."

"The United States and our allies call on North Korea to comply with its commitments under the nonproliferation treaty and to eliminate its nuclear weapons program in a verifiable manner."

The dramatic disclosure complicates President Bush's campaign to disarm Iraq under threat of military force, coming almost nine months after Bush said North Korea was part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq.

It seems unlikely, however, that North Korea will become a target country for the United States much as Iraq is nowadays. With war plans for Iraq already on the drawing board and a broader war on terrorism still under way, threats against North Korea could leave the United States overextended.

Until now, the United States' main concern with North Korea has been its sale of ballistic missiles to Syria, Iran and other countries. Now North Korea's nuclear program is added to the mix.

The United States has been suspicious about North Korea's nuclear intentions for some time despite the agreement.

A CIA report in January said that during the second half of last year, North Korea "continued its attempts to procure technology worldwide that could have applications in its nuclear program.

"We assess that North Korea has produced enough plutonium for at least one, and possibly two, nuclear weapons."

South Korea reacts

South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Tae-sik said South Korea has consistently pursued the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula in line with international agreements.

"We urge North Korea to abide by its obligations," he said.

Yim Sung-joon, a national security adviser, said President Kim Dae-jung called the North Korean disclosure a "very serious matter which cannot be accepted under any circumstances."

In Japan, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's spokeswoman, Misako Kaji, said, "Japan is gravely concerned about the U.S. announcement North Korea is developing nuclear weapons."

She said Koizumi "will continue to press the North Korea strongly on this matter."

North Korea's stunning disclosure about its weapons program came after its remarkable admission just weeks ago that its agents had kidnapped at least 13 Japanese in the late 1970s and early 1980s as part of a program to train communist spies in Japanese language and culture.

Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly visited North Korea on Oct. 3-5 and demanded that the communist state address global concerns about its nuclear and other weapons programs.

In response, the Pyongyang government accused Bush's special envoy of making "threatening remarks." The United States refused all comment on the discussions.

Under the 1994 agreement, North Korea promised to give up its nuclear weapons program and to allow inspections to verify that it did not have the material needed to construct such weapons.

But it has yet to allow the inspections, drawing criticism from the Bush administration.

The agreement also called for the construction of two light water nuclear reactors to replace the plutonium-producing reactors Pyongyang had been using. The reactors were being financed mostly by South Korea and Japan. Construction of the reactors began just two months ago.

An administration source said Kelly also raised with North Korea evidence that Pyongyang may have a uranimum-enrichment program. The program, which the United States believes would only be used to develop a nuclear bomb, began under the Clinton administration, according to the official.

Surprisingly, North Korea confirmed the allegation.

The Bush administration has not decided how to respond. "We're going to keep talking," an official said.

After months of tension with South Korea, the North resumed high-level talks in August that restarted stalled reconciliation efforts on the Korean peninsula -- divided by the most heavily armed border in the world.

The Koreas were divided after World War II and remained that way at the end of the inconclusive Korean War from 1950-53. About 37,000 U.S. troops are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against the North.