Sydney, Australia. As the US now says the “invisible” armada of US Navy ships is headed for Korea, the North Koreans have now targeted the Australians for supporting the US in this operation. Now Australia is ground zero according to Pyongyang.
North Korea’s news agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman condeming Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, after she said the asian nation would be subject to further Australian sanctions and for “spouting a string of rubbish against the DPRK over its entirely just steps for self-defence.”
“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 report said.
North Korea has bluntly warned Australia of a possible nuclear strike if Canberra persists in “blindly and zealously toeing the US line, the Australian foreign minister had better think twice about the consequences to be entailed by her reckless tongue-lashing before flattering the US.”
Bishop had said this week on Australian TV program that North Korea’s nuclear weapons program posed a “serious threat” to Australia unless it was stopped by the international community, essentially Australia and the USA going it alone.
In news from Pyongyang, the North Korean ministry spokesman accused the Australian government of “blindly and zealously toeing the US line, it is hard to expect good words from the foreign minister of such a government. But if she is the foreign minister of a country, she should speak with elementary common sense about the essence of the situation,” the North Korean spokesman said.
North Korea’s nuclear threat dominated talks on Saturday between the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the US vice-president, Mike Pence, with the American now claiming the US was trying diplomatic options, but would not explain how his administration was engaging North Korea on the issue.
Pence would not rule out the use of military force in North Korea but said “all options are on the table” and he stressed the US was focused on diplomacy at this stage, even though US forces are headed to the region in a provocative show of force.