North Korea today hit back at US President Mr George W. Bush's State of the Union speech accusing the communist state of being part of an "axis of evil".
Mr Bush said in his speech that North Korea, Iraq and Iran and their "terrorist allies constitute an axis of evil" and hinted they could become targets in the war on terrorism.
Pyongyang accused Washington of adopting a "hostile and aggressive" stance taking the two sides toward renewed conflict.
China, a traditional ally of North Korea, also condemned Mr Bush's harsh words, saying they would only disrupt world peace and stability.
In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Mr Kong Quan said: "The Chinese side is not in favor of using such terms in international relations. We always advocate . . . the principle of equality of all countries, otherwise it can only harm the maintenance of world peace and stability".
South Korea gave no public reaction but officials in Seoul said they were worried by Mr Bush's speech on Tuesday.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency said: "The remarks were merely US shenanigans aimed at continuing with its policy of aggression against us. The remarks were also aimed at justifying the stationing of US troops in the South and keeping up with its hostile and aggressive policy".
The North broke off official contacts with the United States and South Korea last year after Mr Bush signalled a tougher line with the communist state, especially over its weapons programme. Since then it has accused the United States of seeking a new conflict on the Korean peninsula.
AFP