Australia 'suicidal' for playing war games: North Korea
North Korea has described Australia's involvement in war games between the US and South Korea as a "suicidal act".
Two dozen Australian defence personnel are taking part in a 10-day military exercise, working in the command and control post.
The annual Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercise began on Monday and involves more than 17,000 American troops along with small contingents from Britain, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, New Zealand and the Netherlands.
North Korea's official news agency has condemned Australia's involvement in an editorial, stating: "This is a suicidal act of inviting disaster as it is an illustration of political immaturity, unaware of the seriousness of the current situation," according to translations.
"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."
But Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has hit back at North Korea for singling out Australia, calling for countries to increase their efforts to bring North Korea into line.
“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 on Monday evening.
“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.”
Prime Minister Turnbull earlier this month said Australia and the United States were "joined at the hip", and pledged Australia would come to the aid of its ally if there was an attack by North Korea.
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North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un has been briefed on military's plans to launch missiles into waters near Guam as part of an effort to create "enveloping fire" near the US military hub in the Pacific.
Kim said North Korea would conduct the planned missile launches if the "Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity" and that the US should "think reasonably and judge property" to avoid shame, the news agency said.
In an editorial published on Sunday, the official North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun criticised the joint military exercise as an "expression of enmity," adding that no one can guarantee "that the exercise won't lead to hostilities."
