North Korea threatens Australia with disaster if it continues to support US stance on Pyongyang
Updated
North Korea has criticised Australia for supporting America's tough stance on Pyongyang and says if it continues to do so, a disaster will happen.
Key points:
- North Korea says Julie Bishop has expressed support for the US' stance against Pyongyang
- It accused Australia of "zealously joining the frenzied political and military provocations of the US"
- Ms Bishop effectively ruled out sending an Australian delegation to the rogue state
In a statement on the state-run news agency, North Korea accused Australia of "dangerous moves" by joining what it calls the frenzied political and military provocations of the US.
It said Foreign Minister Julie Bishop had personally expressed her support for the US' stance to consider all options including the use of force towards Pyongyang.
"Lately, Australia is showing dangerous moves of zealously joining the frenzied political and military provocations of the US against the DPRK," the statement says.
"The Australian Foreign Minister personally expressed her support for the stand of the US to consider all options including the use of force towards the DPRK.
"And [Ms Bishop] turned up at Panmunjom on October 11 together with the Australian Defence Minister to condemn the DPRK during her visit to South Korea," referring to Ms Bishop's visit to the border between the two Koreas.
In its warning, the North Korean Foreign Ministry statement said Australia would not be able to avoid disaster if it continued to align itself with the US and South Korea.
Ms Bishop last week said she had real concerns North Korea might launch another missile test to coincide with a meeting of China's Communist Party Congress.
Tensions rise amid missile tests
North Korea has launched dozens of missiles this year, several flying over Japan.
On September 3, North Korea successfully tested a hydrogen bomb designed to be mounted on its newly developed intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), according to state television.
It was the sixth nuclear test by Pyongyang since 2006, and South Korea estimated it was five to six times stronger than North Korea's fifth test a year ago.
US President Donald Trump has said "only one thing will work" in dealing with nuclear-armed North Korea, arguing previous administrators had talked to Pyongyang without results.
Mr Trump has not made clear what the one thing is, but his comments seemed to be a further suggestion military action was on his mind.
He has said the US would "totally destroy" North Korea if necessary to protect itself and its allies from Pyongyang's nuclear threats.
The increasingly heated rhetoric between Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is raising fears of a risk of a miscalculation by one side or the other that could have massive repercussions.
Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson revealed the US was in direct communication with Pyongyang, but Mr Trump says he told him not to waste his time trying to negotiate with Mr Kim.
"I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man," Mr Trump wrote on Twitter, using his sarcastic nickname for Mr Kim.
This came amid Mr Tillerson saying the US had "a couple of, three channels open to Pyongyang".
Bishop rules out embassy in Pyongyang
Ms Bishop on Friday effectively ruled out sending an Australian delegation to the rogue state, saying the US was having some success communicating with it.
"I believe that the United States is rather advanced in its back channelling with North Korea," Ms Bishop said.
She dismissed suggestions Australia's embassy in Pyongyang, which has been closed since 1974, could be reopened.
"We work with other countries who do have a presence in Pyongyang, but I believe they have limited success in engaging with the regime," she said.
Ms Bishop met her South Korean counterpart last week to address Pyongyang's pursuit of its nuclear and missile programs.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the global community needs to maintain economic pressure on North Korea.
ABC/Reuters
Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, government-and-politics, korea-democratic-peoples-republic-of, australia
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