Australian Expert Says North Korea Tensions Have Reached A Precarious Level

An Australian expert says tensions between North Korea and the USA have escalated to a precarious level.

Dr Aidan Warren, RMIT University senior lecturer and author of Weapons of Mass Destruction: The Search for Global Security spoke to Fox FM’s Fifi, Dave, Fev and Byron this morning after North Korea fired a missile over Japan on Tuesday morning. 

He said this test was “quite concerning”:

“It’s another provocative gesture and I think this one is quite different from the rest.  In the game of international relations -  if you’ve got a rocket or a missile or anything going over a nation state’s physical territory that in itself a big deal.”

He said Australia’s proximity to North Korea and the involvement of the US and Japan meant this was of grave concern for Australia.

“Given the fact you've got one of our biggest allies, the US's biggest allies and the close proximity to North Korea – then you’ve got south Korea in the equation - it could go very bad.”

"I’m not trying to sound alarmist. Where I see it going badly is starting from a small skirmish, a miscalculation, a misunderstanding and then It could bring all sorts of actors in – whether it be China, the US sending large military into the equation.

“I think we’re normalising Kim’s behaviour – thinking he’s a bit of a duffer. But the bottom line is he’s done a lot these tests. Trump has been responding in a way that’s not great – and it’s escalated to a precarious level.”

South Korea's military said the ballistic missile was launched from the Sunan region near the North Korean capital Pyongyang just before 6am (7am AEST). It flew 2700km, reaching an altitude of about 550km.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK said the missile broke into three pieces and fell into the waters off Hokkaido.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the launch was a clear violation of United Nations resolutions and Japan will work closely with the United States, South Korea and other concerned nations on a response, he said.

Listen to the full chat here: