“This is again a manifest violation of Security Council resolutions. The DPRK leadership must comply fully with its international obligations and work together with the international community to resolve the outstanding issues on the Korean Peninsula,” said the Spokesman for the Secretary-General.

In the statement, Guterres reiterated his call for DPRK leadership to respond to the Republic of Korea's proposals to reopen communication channels, particularly military-to-military, to lower the risk of miscalculation or misunderstanding and reduce tensions.

On Monday, Seoul announced that its Defence Ministry had proposed to meet with DRPK representatives with the goal of ending hostilities.