North Korean has threatened Australia with a nuclear strike but it can't actually reach the mainland. Credit:AP A spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry, according to a translation of a report by state news agency KCNA, blasted Ms Bishop's backing of the United States' call for all options be on the table to curb North Korea's "illegal and belligerent behaviour". The North Korean Foreign Ministry stated the Peninsula "is inching close to the brink of war in an evil cycle of increasing tensions, and "if Australia persists in following the US moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK and remains a shock brigade of the US master, this will be a suicidal act of coming within the range of the nuclear strike of the strategic force of the DPRK". Ms Bishop fired back on Sunday at that bellicose threat to Australia, and other nations in the region, arguing it showed "the need for the regime to abandon its illegal nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs". "The North Korean government should invest in the welfare of its long-suffering citizens, rather than weapons of mass destruction," she said.

Tensions are running high on the Korean peninsula. Credit:AP Lowy Institute director of International Security Euan Graham said North Korea had not yet successfully tested an ICBM that could reach Australia – but it was on track to do so. "They probably will within the life of the Trump administration. The system they are developing would allow them to hit anywhere in the continental United States. Only China and Russia can do that at the moment. That's some thing any US administration would try to prevent from happening," he said. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop with US Vice President Mike Pence during his recent visit to Australia. Credit:David Moir "Where we are at is a diplomatic crisis with some military posturing. China will be given a few months to get [diplomatic] results. If North Korea doesn't come back with a radically changed diplomatic position – which is highly unlikely – then we may be at a serious crunch point late this year or next."

Australian Strategic Policy Institute director Peter Jennings told Fairfax Media North Korea "doesn't have the ability yet to hit us with a missile that carries a nuke" but that "the closer they [North Korea] get to having an ICBM, the more Americans will look at a pre-emptive strike". Foreign Minister Julie Bishop. Credit:Bloomberg "That's some years away, if they ever get there. If they wanted to hit us it would be Pine Gap [a joint US-Australian facility] because that would impact on the US' war fighting capability. But what we should be concerned about is some kind of cyber attack – they are quite good at that – they regularly do it against South Korea." He added that the recent use of a Massive Ordnance Air Bomb (also known as the "Mother of All Bombs") by the United States in Afghanistan may have been designed as warning to North Korea that it could take out conventional artillery pointed out the South Korean capital of Seoul. Australian National University North Korea expert Leonid Petrov said North Korea's ICBMs had a range of several thousand kilometres but "they can't reach Australians yet".

However, Dr Petrov warned "cold war"-style tensions on the peninsula were rapidly moving to a "hot war" scenario and urged the Australian government to use soft power diplomacy to help resolve the situation. "This is a very dangerous game, I hope our leaders understand the risks ... The Americans are pouring oil on to the fire by sending the Vinson. That brings the region to the brink of war and Australia would lose as much as anyone in the region. Is this really what Australians want to be involved in?" The United States, Australia and other nations in the region have all been leaning on China to step up pressure on North Korea to abandon its pursuit of its nuclear program. The Japan Maritime Self Defence Force said the two vessels would "practise a variety of tactics" with the US carrier group, amid rising tensions over the North's nuclear and missile tests, and its threats to attack the United States, Australia and other Asian allies. There are renewed concerns that North Korea may conduct its sixth nuclear test on Wednesday, the 85th anniversary of its military, and China said this week it was "gravely concerned".

North Korean state media continues to claim North Korea can strike its enemies anywhere on earth, which is untrue. It also frequently reports wild conspiracy theories, such as on Friday claiming the US was planning to use chemical weapons against North Korea. North Korea's most recent missile test, last week, failed just seconds after launch. – with AAP, Reuters