Antinuclear

Australia and New Zealand stiffened their rhetoric against North Korea Sunday after the isolated state threatened Canberra with a nuclear strike, urging it to think twice before “blindly and zealously toeing the US line”.

The move comes as US Vice President Mike Pence wraps up an Asia tour, which has included visits to South Korea, Japan and Australia partly to reassure allies amid fears that Pyongyang may be readying for a sixth nuclear test.

“If Australia persists in following the US’ moves to isolate and stifle North Korea… this will be a suicidal act,” a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said after Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop called the hermit state a “serious threat”.

The spokesman, speaking to the North’s official KCNA news agency, warned Bishop to “think twice about the consequences”……

Lowy Institute director of International Security Euan Graham told Fairfax Media that while North Korea had not yet developed a nuclear ICMB that is capable of striking Australia, it appeared on track to do so. “They probably will within the life of the Trump administration,” he said. “The system they are developing would allow them to hit anywhere in the continental United States.”

Director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Peter Jennings, told Fairfax North Korea “doesn’t have the ability yet to hit us with a missile that carries a nuke”, as it edges closer to nuclear ICMB capability a pre-emptive strike will look more attractive to the US.

“That’s some years away, if they ever get there,” Mr Jennings said, suggesting a likely target would be the Pine Gap joint US-Australia military intelligence base near Alice Springs.

A more present and likely threat Australia should be concerned about is “some kind of cyber attack”, Mr Jennings said, which the DPRK “are quite good at” and carry out regularly on South Korea…..

Mr Pence vowed Wednesday that the US would counter any attack with an “overwhelming and effective” response after a senior North Korean official pledged weekly missile tests and “all-out war” if the US took any action against it……https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/35137796/north-korea-on-track-to-develop-nuclear-weapons-that-could-hit-australia/#page1