Aukus could trigger a 'nuclear arms race': North Korea

North Korea has warned that the United States' "double-dealing attitude" toward its recent security pact with Australia and the United Kingdom might "start a chain of nuclear weapons races" in the Indo-Pacific.

Last week, the United States and Britain formed a trilateral security alliance, with Britain assisting Australia in the development of eight nuclear-powered submarines.

The agreement was reached despite a rising security scenario in the region, as both North Korea and South Korea conducted missile tests.

The new arrangement, dubbed the Aukus agreement, is seen as a rebuke to China, which backs North Korea and maintains a strong presence in the South China Sea. 

The nuclear-armed North has stated that if it perceives "even a slight" threat to its security, it will take "equivalent counter-action."

The new missile tests, as well as the Aukus agreement, have made it more difficult to denuclearise the region.

Former US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to cooperate toward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Meanwhile, in a speech to the UN's atomic nuclear watchdog's annual general assembly on Monday, the chief of the UN's nuclear watchdog said North Korea's nuclear programme is moving "full steam ahead."  

(With inputs from agencies)