Bush Makes 2nd ‘Axis of Evil’ Remark

For the second time in four years, U.S. President George W. Bush used the term “axis of evil” to describe North Korea and Iran.

In a speech at a gathering of the Newspaper Association of America on March 10, he was asked “Who do you think the bigger threat is: Iran, North Korea, or China?” Bush answered, “I said in an earlier speech (the State of the Union address that he delivered in January 2002, right after the September 11 terrorist attacks) there was an axis of evil, and it included Iran and North Korea.”

Though President Bush did not condemn the two countries anew, his description of the two countries through recollection has gathered attention because he may have tried to adjust the level of his remarks in order to facilitate the six-party talks. In 2002, he included Iraq as a member of his “Axis of Evil,” but did not mention Iraq this time.

Bush added, “I would say they`re equal, Iran and North Korea, in terms of being security threats, because any time a non-transparent regime exists, it creates unpredictability in the world.”

Seung-Ryun Kim srkim@donga.com