Cheney Called 'Bloodthirsty Beast'

N. Korea Slams V.P. As Rumsfeld Heads To Region To Consult Allies

(AP) 
Rice also has said the U.S. recognizes the North as a sovereign nation, and U.S. officials insist they have no intention to attack the communist state.

But North Korea said Thursday that the remarks by Cheney, "boss of the hawkish hard-liners, revealed the true colors of this group steering the implementation of the policy of the Bush administration."

The North also leveled a bitter personal attack on Cheney, saying he was "hated as the most cruel monster and bloodthirsty beast as he has drenched various parts of the world in blood."

Despite the tough talk, the North said it maintains its commitment to ending the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula and seeking a peaceful solution to the current standoff.

"But if the U.S. persists in its wrong behavior, misjudging our magnanimity and patience as a sign of weakness, this will entail more serious consequences," the spokesman said, without any elaboration.

Earlier this week, Pyongyang's state media also lashed out at Rice in harsh personal terms, implying she was in control of the White House.

Meanwhile, the North also Thursday criticized a Defense Department decision to halt missions to recover remains of thousands of U.S. soldiers from the Korean War and said it would disband its own search unit.

"In consequence, the U.S. remains buried in Korea can never be recovered but are bound to be reduced to earth with the flow of time," a North Korean army spokesman said, according to KCNA.

Washington said it was halting the missions, which began in 1996, out of concerns for U.S. troops' safety. Pyongyang denied they had ever been at risk and said the Americans had been able to remove remains "without having even a single fingernail hurt."

Also Thursday, the North demanded the U.S. withdraw 15 F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighters recently deployed to South Korea on a regular annual training exercise.

The reclusive communist country's government has said it has nuclear weapons, and U.S. officials say Pyongyang may have as many as six atomic bombs. U.S. officials recently have warned the North against testing a nuclear weapon, saying it could lead to an arms race in Asia.

Next week, Rumsfeld travels to Norway to meet with Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold. The two will visit a NATO center and then travel to a meeting of NATO ministers.