N Korea crisis 'has already gone too far': Ban

Warns Pyongyang against making nuclear threats

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said today that tensions had already soared too high on the Korean peninsula and warned Pyongyang against making nuclear threats.

"The current crisis has already gone too far," Ban said at a press conference in Andorra. "Things must begin to calm down, there is no need for the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) to be on a collision course with the international community. Nuclear threats are not a game."

Ban also said he feared an escalation in the crisis. "I'm convinced that nobody intends to attack the DPRK because of a disagreement about its nuclear system or foreign currency, however I'm afraid that others will respond firmly to any military provocation," Ban said.

"I urge again the authorities of the DPRK to fully abide by the relevant security council resolutions and refrain from making further provocative measures. Dialogue and negotiations are the only way to resolve the current crisis."