UN chief calls to turn down rhetoric on Korea

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest level in decades and it’s important “to dial down the rhetoric and to dial-up diplomacy.”

The UN chief tells reporters that the world needs to heed the lessons of history and not repeat the mistakes that led to the Korean War, which started 67 years ago and killed more than 3 million people.

Guterres says that yesterday he told representatives of the countries in the stalled six-party talks — North Korea, South Korea, the US, Russia, China and Japan — that his “good offices are always available.”

He said the international community must send a clear message to North Korea’s leadership to comply with its international obligations, reopen communications and de-escalate the situation.

— AP