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| From left, Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and Defense Minister Song Young-moo attend a press conference at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, Oct. 13. / AP-Yonhap |
North Korea condemned Australia on Saturday for what it sees as its "dangerous" moves to join the U.S. in hostile action against its regime, warning that it could result in a "disaster" for the country.
"Lately, Australia is showing dangerous moves of zealously joining the frenzied political and military provocations of the U.S. against the DPRK while these provocations aggravate the situation of the Korean peninsula into a touch-and-go phase," said the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) monitored in Seoul.
"The Australian foreign minister personally expressed her support for the stand of the U.S. to consider all options including the use of force towards the DPRK, and turned up at Panmunjom... together with the Australian defense minister to condemn the DPRK during her visit to South Korea," it added.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.
It referred to Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Defense Minister Marise Payne who visited the truce village on Thursday, a day before holding a two plus two meeting with their South Korean counterparts in Seoul.
During the visit, they emphasized the need for "maximum diplomatic pressure" to rein in North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
Following the Seoul meeting, they also issued a joint statement in which they seek "all necessary measures" for the North to fulfill its international obligations and called on Pyongyang to refrain from provocative behavior and to abandon all nuclear weapons and programs.
The KCNA said that there are media reports that Australia is preparing for a war on the Korean Peninsula, citing a joint military drill with the U.S. It warned of a disaster should it continue the hostile acts.
"Should Australia continue to follow the U.S. in imposing military, economic and diplomatic pressure upon the DPRK despite our repeated warnings, they will not be able to avoid a disaster," it said. (Yonhap)
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