South Korea warns North Korea over nuclear threats

Seoul: South Korean President Park Geun-hye warned North Korea it will pay a price if it goes ahead with its recent missile and nuclear threats.

"Should North Korea go ahead with provocative actions that violate the UN Security Council resolutions, there will certainly be a price to be paid," Xinhua news agency quoted Park as saying in an interview published on Friday.

She said Seoul has been making every diplomatic effort to prevent Pyongyang from further provocation by closely coordinating with the international society, including the US.

The South Korean leader is scheduled to leave for New York on Friday to attend the UN General Assembly and the special summit on sustainable development goals (SDGs).

During her speech at the UN headquarters, Park was expected to urge Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions and return to the multilateral dialogue table for denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Park`s comments came amid signs of tensions on the peninsula as North Korea said it was in the final stage of developing satellites for Earth observation.

It indicated the launch of a long-range rocket around the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers` Party of Korea on October 10.

Park said South Korea was ready to work with the international community to provide "a range of assistance" if North Korea decides to abandon its nuclear programme.