Australia as a Nuclear Target

1. Kevin Rudd holds the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Australian Government. He is responsible for overseeing the International Diplomacy of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

2. Mr Rudd's concern is that Australia could be under direct threat from long range North Korean nuclear weapons such as the long range Taepodong-2 Missile and that North Korea has become 'detached from reality'

3. Mr Rudd expressed his concerns while attending the ASEAN Regional Forum, which is being attended by all ASEAN Member Nations along with the United States.

4. The Attack and Sinking of the South Korean frigate "Cheonan", the shelling of Yeonpyeong and the deliberate disobeyment of United Nations sanctions on uranium enrichment have Kevin Rudd alarmed and have made the region very unstable at this moment in time.

5. According to Mr Rudd, the North Korean Uranium Weaponisation Program is designed to put Nuclear Warheads on long range missiles and this is a direct threat to Australia. In particular, the long range Taepodong-2 Missile is being developed to have a range of over 14,000km however recent tests of the missile into the Sea of Japan have been unsuccessful.

6. Mr Rudd is trying to show that Australia is very concerned about the issues on the Korean Peninsula and he is trying to encourage high level talks between South Korea and North Korea. He is also trying to put Australia in a major player position in the conflict.Mr Rudd is also attempting to help build further our relationships with key allies such as the United States, who are against North Korea.

7. This relates greatly to Australia's relationship with its allies because it is a key issue in the Asia-Pacific region and if Australia supports South Korea, then it has the support of the United States, our major ally. If Australia is shown to be committed to the unification of Korea, then it looks good in the eyes of its allies.