Addressing a Security Council meeting attended by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Mr Guterres offered his "good offices" to explore prospects for renewing talks between North Korea and world powers.
"Diplomatic engagement is the only pathway to sustainable peace and denuclearisation."
"We must do everything we can to reach that objective and avoid a level of danger that would be unpredictable in its trajectory and catastrophic in its consequences." he said.
Mr Guterres said it was time to immediately re-establish and strengthen communication channels with North Korea, including inter-Korean and military-to-military channels, to reduce the risk of a misunderstanding escalating into conflict.
"While all concerned seek to avoid an accidental escalation leading to conflict, the risk is being multiplied by misplaced over-confidence, dangerous narratives and rhetoric, and the lack of communication channels," Mr Guterres said.
"We must do everything we can to reach that objective -- and avoid a level of danger that would be unpredictable in its trajectory and catastrophic in its consequences." he said.
The United States will keep its channels of communication open with North Korea even as it maintains pressure on Pyongyang to halt its nuclear and missile tests, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.
Addressing the UN Security Council, Mr Tillerson also said a "sustained cessation of North Korea's threatening behaviour must occur before talks can begin" with Pyongyang.
North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations, Ja Song Nam, ignored a US call for a cessation of weapons testing to allow for talks with Pyongyang on its nuclear program and said his country would not pose a threat to any state, as long as its interests were not infringed upon.
[rte.ie]
15/12/17
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N.Korea must ‘earn its way back to table,’ Tillerson tells UN
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