Bush publicly condemned Kim Jong-il of North Korea and identified North Korea as one of three states in an " axis of evil " . He said that " the United States of America will not permit the world 's most dangerous regimes to threaten us with the world 's most destructive weapons . " Within months , " both countries had walked away from their respective commitments under the U.S. – DPRK Agreed Framework of October 1994 . " North Korea 's October 9 , 2006 , detonation of a nuclear device further complicated Bush 's foreign policy , which centered for both terms of his presidency on " preventing the terrorists and regimes who seek chemical , biological , or nuclear weapons from threatening the United States and the world " . Bush condemned North Korea 's position , reaffirmed his commitment to " a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula " , and stated that " transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States " , for which North Korea would be held accountable . On May 7 , 2007 , North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear reactors immediately pending the release of frozen funds held in a foreign bank account . This was a result of a series of three-way talks initiated by the United States and including China . On September 2 , 2007 , North Korea agreed to disclose and dismantle all of its nuclear programs by the end of 2007 . By May 2009 , North Korea had restarted its nuclear program and threatened to attack South Korea
detonation
2006 North Korean nuclear test
George W. Bush