SEOUL -- The double crisis over weapons of mass destruction that now confronts the world in Iraq and North Korea respectively represents a golden opportunity to kill the proverbial "two birds with one stone."

Thus far, however, the major concern has been over the Bush administration's alleged inconsistency in tone and substance in addressing the more immediate and menacing threat in North Korea sotto voce while the less immediate threat in Iraq has been accompanied by "saber rattling" rhetoric -- "Saddam Hussein will disarm or we will disarm him" -- timed with major U.S. military deployments to the Persian Gulf.

Nothing of the sort has been suggested vis-a-vis North Korea. The handling is noteworthy in itself because of the contrast with military deployments that have accompanied past crises, most recently, the 1993-94 nuclear inspection faceoff.