Australia’s foreign minister, Julie Bishop, says North Korea should look after its “long-suffering citizens” rather than developing weapons of mass destruction after the regime pointedly warned Australia of a possible nuclear strike if Canberra persists in “blindly and zealously toeing the US line”.



Bishop issued a statement on Sunday declaring North Korea’s threats of nuclear strikes against other nations “further underlines the need for the regime to abandon its illegal nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs”.

“These present a grave threat to its neighbours, and if left unchecked, to the broader region including Australia,” the foreign minister said. “The North Korean government should invest in the welfare of its long-suffering citizens, rather than weapons of mass destruction.”

Bishop’s punchy statement follows North Korea’s state new agency (KCNA) quoting a foreign ministry spokesman blasting earlier comments from Bishop backing the position of the United States that all options should be on the table to curb rogue behaviour, and warning the regime could be subject to additional sanctions.

The official report from North Korea said: “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.

“The Australian foreign minister had better think twice about the consequences to be entailed by her reckless tongue-lashing before flattering the US.”

Regional tensions have risen in recent weeks with the US adopting a harder line against North Korea, and Australia intensifying diplomatic pressure on China to use its influence to thwart the regime’s nuclear ambitions.

The US vice-president, Mike Pence, during his visit to Australia over the weekend, repeated all options, including military action, were “on the table” to deal with the threat of North Korean nuclear weapons.

Pence said if China was unable to deal with North Korea, “the United States and our allies will”.

Labor’s defence spokesman, Richard Marles, said on Sky News on Sunday it was clear the new Trump administration had adopted a “harder edge” on North Korea, but he played down the risk of outright conflict.

“I don’t think that conflict on the Korean peninsula is particularly likely,” Marles said. “I think there is a lot of avenues, and a lot of water that goes under the bridge in the immediate term.”

Marles said the early signs from China in response to the diplomatic pressure were positive. “I do think that China are taking some positive steps in a way which is different to what has happened in the immediate past in relation to putting pressure on North Korea, and that is a good thing,” he said.

“We do need to see China acting, and that is important. I do think that a harder edge being presented by America in respect of North Korea is not a bad thing.”