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Australia 'very concerned' about North Korean nuclear programme: defence minister

Australia's Defence Minister expressed "very concerned" over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, despite scaled-back US military drills and improved US-DPRK relations.

Published August 18,2026 07:13 AM
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Australia's Defence Minister said on Tuesday the country remained "very concerned" over Pyongyang's nuclear programme, after US President Donald Trump scaled back military drills and praised his relationship with the North Korean leader.

"Australia is very concerned about North Korea's nuclear programme as well as its missile programme, and we have consistently made that point," Richard Marles told journalists in Canberra alongside his Japanese counterpart.