Just when you thought Australia being on the other side of the world was enough to keep us out of harm’s way, North Korea’s state-run newspaper just identified Darwin as the site of a possible nuclear war.
The United States’ deployment of 1250 marines to Darwin on a six-month placement, which is only half of the originally proposed 2500, has Kim Jung-un feeling stressed.
Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne told NT News that Australia wants to avoid any military action with North Korea, which is great because same.
“We want the North Koreans to behave like reasonable international citizens – that means ending their missile testing and not preparing for a nuclear war with the US, Japan, South Korea and anyone else for that matter,” he said.
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After Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the reclusive regime “must be stopped” as it was a threat to the region, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of DPRK released an aggressive statement warning the Turnbull government about “blindly and zealously toeing the U.S. line”.
“If Australia persists in following the U.S. moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK and remains a shock brigade of the U.S. master, this will be a suicidal act of coming within the range of the nuclear strike of the strategic force of the DPRK,” the statement continued.
“The Australian foreign minister had better think twice about the consequences to be entailed by her reckless tongue-lashing before flattering the U.S.”
Ms Bishop hit back that the threats of nuclear strikes “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.”
The U.S Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has suggested America will respond with military retaliation if Kim Jong-un provokes it.
“We are not going to do anything unless he gives us a reason to do something, so our goal is not to start a fight,” she told TODAY.
“Kim Jong-un is starting to flex his muscles because he feels the pressure,” Ms Haley added.
“Keep in mind, he’s just trying to get the confidence of his own people. So when he does these things he’s not necessarily doing them to all of us, as much as he’s trying to prove to his own people he can handle this.
“He’s very much feeling the pressure.
“I think you’re starting to see him get very paranoid and I think you’re starting to see pressure come from all parts of the international community and I think we just need to keep the pressure up.”
Why can’t we all just get along?
