North Korea has threatened to hit Australia with a nuclear strike if it
continues to follow the United States.
The stern warning comes after Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said on
Thursday that North Korea would be hit with further Australian sanctions
as a clear message that its behaviour will not be tolerated.
Ms Bishop also called on China to do more to pressure North Korea into
getting rid of its hostile and aggressive ways and dumping its nuclear
warheads and ballistic missile program.
However, in response to the comments, North Korea’s state-run KCNA news
agency on Saturday quoted a foreign ministry spokesman accusing Ms
Bishop of “spouting a string of rubbish” against the nation.
The spokesman accused the Australian Government of “blindly and
zealously toeing the U.S. line” and warned of a possible nuclear strike
if it continues.
“If Australia persists in following the US moves to isolate and stifle
North Korea … this will be a suicidal act of coming within the range of
the nuclear strike of the strategic force of North Korea,” the spokesman
said.
The spokesman also warned Ms Bishop to “think twice” about the
consequences of her “reckless tongue-lashing flattering the U.S.”.
Adding:
“What she uttered can never be pardoned,” the spokesman said.
“It is hard to expect good words from the foreign minister of such
government. But if she is the foreign minister of a country, she should
speak with elementary common sense about the essence of the situation.
“It is entirely attributable to the nuclear threat escalated by the US
and its anachronistic policy hostile to North Korea that the situation
on the Korean Peninsula is inching close to the brink of war in an evil
cycle of increasing tensions.”