The United States said on Wednesday that North Korea's nuclear program and the increased range and precision of its missiles were of great concern, a day after the isolated Asian country said it had the power to deter a US nuclear threat with a pre-emptive strike if necessary.
The US mission to International Organizations in Vienna, home to the UN's International Atomic Energy Organisation, said the restart of North Korea's graphite-moderated nuclear reactor could enable it to produce additional plutonium for weapons in the near future.
"These activities are clear violations of multiple (UN) resolutions and must cease immediately," it said in a statement.
He said the increased range and precision of North Korean missiles were "of great concern" and represented a physical threat to US territory. He emphasized the need to conduct military exercises with South Korea, which have provoked increasingly heated North Korean rhetoric in recent days.
However he added: "It's difficult time, it's a dangerous time, and the potential for miscalculation is high."
Ri said the military exercises being staged by South Korea and the United States were "unprecedentedly provocative in nature and have an especially high possibility of sparking off a war."
Brooks said in an interview with Reuters earlier on Wednesday that North Korea's demonstrations of increased capabilities emphasized the need for nations to cooperate on missile defense.
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