Seoul | Foreign Minister Penny Wong has called on China to rein in its long-time ally North Korea as the erratic dictatorship ramps up its nuclear program and cosies up to a hostile and unpredictable Russia.

Speaking at the demilitarised zone, the weapons-free buffer between North and South Korea, on Tuesday, the foreign minister acknowledged that countries all around Asia are beefing up their defence capabilities in response to China’s dramatic military expansion.