Seoul, South Korea ? South Korea’s ruling party said Saturday it feared Washington might be getting emotional in its handling of a nuclear standoff with North Korea, a day after President Bush left open the possibility of a military strike.

“North Korea’s recent moves cannot be praised, but we cannot help expressing concern as to whether emotions have interfered with U.S. efforts to resolve the North’s nuclear problem,” Chang Chun-hyong, a deputy spokesman of the South’s ruling Millennium Democratic Party, said in a statement.

Bush said Friday that “all options are on the table,” suggesting that the United States could consider military action to curb the Stalinist regime’s nuclear activities.

Bush and his aides usually take care to state that the United States has no intention of attacking North Korea. In his comments Friday, Bush did not repeat that message.

Saturday, North Korea accused Bush of planning to invade the impoverished state and warning that a conflict on the divided Korean Peninsula would devastate the South as well.

Chang also referred to remarks by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who called North Korea “a terrorist regime” on Wednesday.

“We make it clear that there should be no mistake in judgment and a worst-case scenario should never unfold on the Korean Peninsula,” Chang said in his statement.

South Korea, while saying it wants to continue its close military alliance with Washington, fears that the standoff between the United States and North Korea could lead to clashes and has urged the United States to seek a peaceful settlement.

North Korea’s long-standing strategy has been to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington by arguing that the U.S. stance poses a threat to South Korea as well.

North Korea warned Thursday that if the United States built up reinforcements in the region, it could trigger “a total war.”