US President George W. Bush said today that North Korea remained for now part of what he once branded an "axis of evil".
In his 2002 State of the Union address to Congress, Mr Bush accused Pyongyang, Iran and Iraq of seeking weapons of mass destruction that could be used for attacks on US allies or to blackmail the United States.
But recent steps by North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons, including declaring nuclear programme details and blowing up a water cooling tower at its ageing Yongbyon plant, had raised questions whether it might be removed from the list.
"That's to be determined. The human rights abuses inside the country still exist and persist," Mr Bush said after meeting South Korean President Lee Myung-bak during his visit to South Korea.
"The North Korean leader has yet to fully verify the extent to which he has had a highly enriched uranium programme.
"In order to get off the list, the 'axis of evil' list, then the North Korean leader is going to have to make certain decisions," he said. "I can't predict the North Korean leader's decision making."
But Mr Bush praised the demolition of the cooling tower as a "positive step".
He has already proposed dropping North Korea from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism as early as next week if Pyongyang agrees to a plan for verifying details about its nuclear weapons programme. But most experts expect that will take longer.
Iran remains atop the "axis of evil" roster because of a stalemate over halting its uranium enrichment programme. Washington worries Iran wants an atomic weapon, but Tehran insists it is only seeking civilian nuclear energy.
"My hope is that the 'axis of evil' list no longer exists," Mr Bush said. "That's my hope for the sake of peace. It's my hope for the sake of our children."
Reuters