English: Military action against Korea to be made on merit

Prime Minister Bill English is not committing to supporting the US in any future action against North Korea. Photo / File

Any future military action against North Korea would be made on its merits and "New Zealand's interests", according to Prime Minister Bill English.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull yesterday said Australia would enact the Anzus Treaty and "come to the aid of the United States" if North Korea attacked the superpower. But, English said New Zealand would not necessarily follow Australia into any future military action with the US against North Korea.

The comments come after North Korea threatened to launch a multi-missile strike in the waters off the US Pacific territory of Guam. American President Donald Trump said any such attack would be "met with fire and fury like the world has never seen".

English said any military support for the US against North Korea was hypothetical and he was focused on a peaceful resolution to the nuclear threats between the two countries.

"While there's been an escalation of rhetoric there isn't any indication that military action is going to occur. We are in close contact with the US and Australia but any decision New Zealand makes about North Korea we make according to our own interests."

He again described US President Donald Trump's responses - such as tweeting North Korea would face "fire and fury" - as "not helpful".

English said any comments that escalated the tension were unnecessary but the US was still committed to resolving the issue without military action.

Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee said any decision by New Zealand would depend on the nature of a conflict and was still hypothetical.

"From our perspective, if there were to be a conflict, firstly we'd have to know what the nature of that is and we'll know very quickly when that happens. If it was nuclear, for example, then I think you'd have to have a very serious look at what that meant and you can't really pre-empt that."

He believed Turnbull had simply been setting out Australia's position as an ally "and there's been a lot taken out of that that is fairly explosive".

"We think that's an interesting position for them to talk about, but not one we have stepped towards."

Australia was in a formal alliance with the US while New Zealand was "very, very good friends" but not a formal ally.

He said New Zealand was still hopeful that talks and calm would prevail.

Everybody wanted Pyongyang to enter talks, including China, Russia and the US, which had put in place some reassurances for Pyongyang to help that happen. The sanctions were also starting to bite.