North Korea conflict 'shattering': PM

Malcolm Turnbull says a conflict with North Korea would be shattering as he backs the latest sanctions on the regime.

Armed conflict with North Korea will have catastrophic consequences, Malcolm Turnbull has warned.

The prime minister welcomed the latest UN sanctions on Pyongyang, again calling for the regime to come to its senses and stop its illegal provocations.

"A conflict would be shattering. It would have catastrophic consequences. We all understand that," he told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday.