South Korea will not aid in US attack

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's president-elect said Thursday that he would not go along with the United States in any attack on North Korea to halt its nuclear program, aides said.\nThe United States has said it does not plan to invade North Korea, but the comment by President-elect Roh Moo-hyun highlighted his willingness to voice potential differences with his country's No. 1 ally.\nIt also raised a possible obstacle if President Bush ever considers a strike on North Korea's nuclear facilities, rather than a full-scale invasion. Bush says he wants a peaceful solution to the standoff, but has also said "all options are on the table."\nRoh, who takes office Feb. 25, said in a meeting with labor leaders that he cherished the alliance with Washington and that some media were exaggerating differences between him and U.S. leaders over the North Korean nuclear issue.\n"We must honor the alliance with the United States and cooperate and try to coordinate our views," Roh was quoted as saying by Chung Sye-kyun, chief policy-maker of Roh's Millennium Democratic Party. "It is impossible not to have differences and I cannot agree to attacking (North Korea). We can fully cooperate, but not on this one."\nRoh's comments came a day after the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, decided to refer the North Korea nuclear issue to the Security Council, setting in motion a process which could lead to sanctions against North Korea.\nThe United States said Thursday that sanctions are not an option for now. The deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Richard Williamson, said the Bush administration wants to pursue a diplomatic solution.\nNorth Korea has said it would consider sanctions a "declaration of war." China and Russia underlined on Thursday that they oppose sanctions and want Washington to resolve the standoff through direct talks with Pyongyang.\n"Just because we agreed that the IAEA will report this to the Security Council does not mean we think the Security Council should be involved right now," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue.\n"We hope that the North Korea issue can still have a political settlement by means of the two sides talking," Zhang said. "We hope the international community can be more patient"