President George W. Bush has urged North Korea to keep its promise to reveal all nuclear programs, in his first direct communication with the reclusive leader of a country he once branded part of an "axis of evil." Bush wrote to Kim Jong-il, a communist leader he once said he loathed, telling him "we're at a critical juncture" for Pyongyang to meet its year-end deadline for key steps toward nuclear disarmament, the White House confirmed on Thursday.But other U.S. officials acknowledged that North Korea might not fully comply before early 2008 and indicated that Washington was prepared to show some flexibility. "The president ... stressed the need for North Korea to come forward with a full and complete declaration of their nuclear programs, as called for in the September 2005 six-party agreement," White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
Visiting U.S. envoy Chris Hill handed the letter to North Korea's Foreign Minister on Wednesday, Pyongyang's KCNA news agency said. The White House declined to release a copy.