North Korea Warns Australia: U.S. Military Alliance a ‘Suicidal Act’

Australia’s decision to support the U.S. in any possible future military conflict with North Korea has been called a “suicidal act” by Pyongyang.

The official North Korea news agency KCNA noted that the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, had vowed his country’s military would fight alongside the U.S. if the latter was attacked by North Korea.

As Breitbart News reported, Mr. Turnbull made his call earlier this month after North Korea threatened a nuclear attack against the strategic American territory of Guam in the Pacific. He told an Australian radio network, “America stands by its allies, including Australia of course, and we stand by the United States.

“So be very, very clear on that. If there’s an attack on the US, the ANZUS Treaty would be invoked and Australia would come to the aid of the United States, as America would come to our aid if we were attacked.”

The ANZUS Treaty binds the U.S., Australia and New Zealand together in a defense pact covering military matters in the Pacific Ocean region. It provides that an armed attack on any of the three parties would be dangerous to the others, and that each should act to meet the common threat.

Citing an unnamed official from the North Korean foreign ministry, KCNA said Mr. Turnbull’s show of unqualified support for Washington, coupled with Australia’s participation in upcoming military drills in South Korea, had left the country open to unspecified “counter-measures of justice” by North Korea.

“This is a suicidal act of inviting disaster, as it is an illustration of political immaturity, unaware of the seriousness of the current situation,” KCNA said. “Australia followed the US to the Korean War, the Vietnamese War and the ‘war on terrorism’, but heavy loss of lives and assets were all that it got in return.”

Mr. Turnbull responded by urging the international community to “bring North Korea to its senses.”

“North Korea has shown it has no regard for the welfare of its own population, no regard for the security and good relations with its neighbours and no regard for international law,” he said in a statement to the ABC.

“We call on all countries to redouble their efforts, including through implementation of agreed UN Security Council resolutions, to bring North Korea to its senses and end its reckless and dangerous threats to the peace of our region and the world.”

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