A senior United States official says a long-range missile which North Korea plans to test next month will for the first time be aimed towards South-East Asia and Australia.

The assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, Kurt Campbell, says the US believes the North Korean missile will land in an area between Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Previous North Korean rockets have been launched over Japan.

Fairfax reported on Saturday that Mr Campbell delivered the message in person to Foreign Minister Bob Carr.

“If the missile test proceeds as North Korea has indicated, our judgment is that it will impact in an area roughly between Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines,” Mr Campbell was quoted as saying.

“We have weighed into each of these countries and asked them to make clear that such a test is provocative and this plan should be discontinued.”

Nuclear-armed North Korea plans to launch the rocket in April to put a satellite into orbit, a move the US, Australia and other nations see as a pretext for a long-range missile test banned by the United Nations.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says it is deeply concerned by North Korea’s plans.

A spokesperson for DFAT says the government registered concerns with the North Korean ambassador to Australia in Jakarta on Friday.

Senator Carr says North Korea’s nuclear and long-range missile programs present a “real and credible threat to the security of the region and Australia”.

He says the planned satellite launch will be a clear breach of UN Security Council resolutions.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard will be among other world leaders invited to South Korea next week for nuclear security talks.

Ms Gillard on Wednesday moved a lower house motion to renew Australia’s commitment to the eradication of all nuclear weapons.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is expected to raise North Korea’s rocket launch at the meeting on Monday and Tuesday.

ABC/AAP

Original: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-03-24/north-korean-missiles-aimed-at-australia/3910342