N. Korea condemns U.S. 'strike first' doctrine

The U.S. suspects North Korea's massive standing army may be trying to develop weapons of mass destrucion

SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) -- North Korea said Monday U.S. President George W. Bush's new doctrine of pre-emptive action against hostile states and groups developing weapons of mass destruction made a new war more likely.

"The outbreak of a new war is not a problem to be raised in future but is becoming a hard fact today," the communist state's official Rodong Sinmun daily said in a commentary on the eve of the 52nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.

As part of Washington's quest for a response to the September 11 attacks and expected future incidents, Bush introduced the idea of pre-emption while addressing Germany's parliament in May.

He expanded on the idea in a speech this month, arguing that America must be prepared to strike first against "terrorists and tyrants" because Cold War policies of deterrence and containment do not fit the post-September 11 world.

"This goes to prove that the Bush trigger-happy group has reached the reckless phase of putting into practice the military hard line which it has advocated since the outset of its seizure of power to stifle the anti-imperialist independent countries," the ruling party paper said of the evolving U.S. policy.

North Korea, which Bush has branded part of an "axis of evil" along with Iran and Iraq with dangerous nuclear, chemical and biological weapons capabilities, is not thought to be linked to the suicide hijacking attacks on New York and Washington.

But the hard-line communist government of Kim Jong-il is a focus of U.S. concern because it is thought to have weapons of mass destruction. It is also the leading exporter of ballistic missiles to Iran, Libya, Pakistan, Syria and Egypt.

Pyongyang clearly resents the attention by Bush, despite its willingness to engage Washington in diplomatic contacts, expected to start as early as this month with a visit to North Korea by U.S. envoy Jack Pritchard.

The main issues of interest to the United States are North Korea's missile sales, management of international food aid, conventional military forces and compliance with international obligations on nuclear safeguards.

On Tuesday, South Korea marks the 52nd anniversary of the lightning invasion by North Korean troops that triggered the three-year Korean War.

The Koreas remain technically in a state of war because they did not sign a peace treaty after shooting stopped in 1953.