Rodong Sinmun, the North's ruling communist party newspaper, said the South's move would help spark a war against Pyongyang which fears it could be the next US target after the Iraq war.

The parliament of South Korea, a US ally, voted overwhelmingly Wednesday for a government motion to send 700 non-combat troops to Iraq after President Roh Moo-Hyun's repeated requests for endorsement.

"The (South Korean) National Assembly's passage of the motion on the troop dispatch... is little short of encouraging the US in its moves to invade the DPRK (North Korea)," Rodong said in a statement carried by the official KCNA wire.

KCNA said Rodong criticised the move as "one more disgraceful pro-US sycophantic and servile act and an unpardonable criminal act of following the US brigandish war policy of aggression."

The United States and North Korea have been locked in a stand-off for six months over Pyongyang's suspected nuclear weapons program, with diplomatic efforts to settle the crisis failing to make any progress.

"The nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula is getting worse with every passing day," Rodong said. "It is open secret that the DPRK is the next target of US attack after the Iraqi war."

But Seoul officials, including President Roh, have said South Korea's dispatch of troops would improve ties with Washington and help bring a peaceful end to the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Roh, who opposes military action against North Korea to solve the crisis, expects Washington to soften its stand on handling North Korea in return for South Korean support on Iraq.

SPACE.WIRE