AN international relations expert bound for Seoul has advised Australians heading for the South Korean capital they will get only 45 seconds notice of a North Korean artillery strike.

Professor Andrew O'Neil said North Korea could fire multiple launch rocket systems on Seoul as far as the capital's main river, the Han, or use chemical weapons to confuse or slow down the South Korean and United States military presence in the region. "Australians are taking advantage of cheap flights to Seoul," said Prof O'Neil, professor of Griffith University's School of Government and International Relations. "If North Korea does launch a strike, US and South Korean intelligence has proven they can fire 20 rounds in one go and up to a thousand rounds of large scale rocket systems. "The last time North Korea made a strike near the Northern Limit Line, in November 2010, South Korea did not strike back. "If there is a repeat of anything like this, I don't think South Korea can sit on their hands and do nothing. They will respond." 130404 North Korea Unha-3 rocket Prof O'Neil, who is travelling to Seoul on a four-day business trip, advised Australians in Seoul to remain in their hotel rooms if air strikes begin. "You've got to realise that North Korea has a mentality which dates from Kim Jong-un's grandfather fighting in anti-Japanese guerrilla groups prior to World War II," he said. "You look at who controls the military and they are in their 60s and 70s. They are old warriors with a view of the United States dating back to the 1950s, as the sworn enemy of North Korea." South Korea Koreas Tension Return flights to Seoul are being advertised by Flight Centre for as low as $704. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website posts a travel warning of "tense" relations between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and North Korea and says further provocations cannot be ruled out following the attempted launch of a satellite using a long-range missile on December 12, 2012.