Julie Bishop condemns North Korea missile launch over Japan as ‘dangerous, threatening and provocative’

FOREIGN Affairs Minister Julie Bishop today accused North Korea of ‘threatening, dangerous and provactive’ behaviour over its missile launch over Japan.

• Japan warns residents to seek shelter as North Korea fires missile

NORTH Korea has fired a missile over Japan for the first time in nearly two decades, an act slammed by Foreign Minister Julie Bishop as “dangerous, threatening and provocative”.

It represents the most startling escalation in a lengthy cold war between the rogue communist regime and its neighbouring country which began earlier this year and which has been marked by threats against both the United States and Australia.

Ms Bishop told Sky News this morning the launch of the ballistic missile shortly before 6am Canberra time was “a serious escalation of North Korea’s behaviour”.

‘Provocative’.... Foreign Minister Julie Bishop today. Picture Kym Smith

The launch has been described as “an unprecedented grave threat”. Picture: AFP

People watch a TV news program reporting North Korea's missile launch at Seoul Railway Station.

“It is in direct defiance of the United Nations Security Council resolution in relation to its ballistic missile testing,” she said.

And Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it would fall to China to bring Pyongyang “to its sense without military action” after “one reckless provocation after another”.

But the Turnbull government is also confident increasingly tight economic sanctions, which begin on Friday, will force the dictatorial regime to the negotiating table.

All exports from North Korea of coal, lead, iron ore and seafood will be banned – including into China, the country’s main trading partner.

“This will start to have a significant economic impact on North Korea and that is when the opportunity will arise to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table,” Ms Bishop said.

The missile travelled 2700km over Japanese territory near Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands, breaking into three pieces over water.

There was no damage to ships reported.

The Pentagon said there was no threat to the United States.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe issues a warning to residents in the country’s north. Picture: Toshiyuki Matsumoto/Kyodo News via AP

A PAC-3 surface-to-air missile launch system is seen in position at Japan’s Defence Ministry in Tokyo on August 29, 2017. Picture: AFP

“We assess North Korea conducted a missile launch within the last 90 minutes,” Pentagon spokesman Rob Manning said in a statement.

“North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.”

The launch comes just over a week after Pyongyang threatened Australia over its support of US-led defence exercises in the region, calling them a “suicidal act”.