Korea is a poor country prepared to defend itself. Australia is the 13th. richest country in the world, and we don't have a significant defence force. 

we don't have a significant defence force.
ttbn,
And, no-one's interested in a National Service ! Anyhow, Australia's Demographic now no longer allows even thinking about defence as its potential enemies are already residing here & getting supported by public funding.
North Koreans have been working on keeping those who mean to destroy their Nation at bay whereas Australia's Leftist have invited them to set up camp here.

individual

They won't even put those on the dole or JobKeeper to work, preferring to import workers.

Need to remember the North Korean viewpoint. Look at the US led Korean War which got to the stage was not much bombing because there was not much that had not been bombed. The political end situation of the war was about the same as at when it started. Since then the North Koreans have not dared let down their guard against more possible US led attacks. Would be very conscious of what happened to leaders including Saddam Hussein in Iraq and Gaddafi in Libya when they did not have enough possible means of retaliating. Seems now an important thing to hopefully stop bullies associated with the US government from attacking North Korea is possibility of retaliatory nuclear strike which may not be intercepted. Seems helpful for North Korea to make more labour available for rice planting and harvesting. US led military exercises near North Korea were often timed to coincide with these so more resources were devoted to military reserves instead.

They won't even put those on the dole or JobKeeper to work, preferring to import workers.
ttbn,
We can't blame this Govt for that deplorable situation. It's the Australian Education system saturated by Labor supporting indifferent bureaucrats put there by just as indifferent voters.
Imagine what would happen if this Govt demanded all bureaucrats do their job ?
The public Service Union & Education Unions would escalate their opposition to a Coalition Govt
to a straight-out war.
You see, Govt is only a small part of the problem, the voters are the REAL problem. Kim Jong Un should be hired as an advisor !

Mox,

You seem to be confused into thinking that the US started the Korean war?