North Korea has done more than any other nation to undermine nonproliferation regime: State Dept.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price speaks during a media briefing at the State Department in Washington, Aug. 16, 2021. North Korea has done more than any other country to undermine the global nonproliferation regime. AP-Yonhap

North Korea has done more than any other country to undermine the global nonproliferation regime, a state department spokesperson said Thursday, amid fears that Pyongyang may soon conduct a nuclear weapon test.

State Department Press Secretary Ned Price made the remarks after North Korea assumed the rotating presidency of the Conference on Disarmament.

"North Korea has been far from a responsible actor when it comes to matters of nonproliferation," Price said when asked to comment on North Korea's leadership at the Geneva-based conference in a daily press briefing.

"In fact, North Korea has been profoundly destabilizing vis-a-vis the global nonproliferation norm," he added.

North Korea is set to serve as president of the conference over the next three weeks under the decades-old tradition of the 65-member conference, according to reports.

Its leadership, however, comes amid concerns that the North may soon conduct what will be its seventh nuclear weapon test.

Military and intelligence officials in Seoul and Washington have said Pyongyang appears to have completed "all preparations" for a nuclear test and that it may only be gauging the timing.

Price noted North Korea's presidency raised questions about the utility of the conference when asked.

"It certainly calls into question when you have a regime like the DPRK in the senior leadership post, a regime that has done (more than) any other government around the world to erode the nonproliferation norm," said Price, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.

Price said the U.S. and its allies will continue to hold the North accountable for any destabilizing acts such as a nuclear test.

"We think it is important, especially in the aftermath of the most recent ballistic missile launches, that the international community including the U.N. system make very clear a statement of accountability and hold the DPRK to account for its nuclear weapons program, for its ballistic missile programs," he said.

North Korea has staged 17 missile launches this year.

The U.S. earlier sought to pass new U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Korea, but its efforts have so far been blocked by China and Russia, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and close allies of Pyongyang.

"We encourage all member states to fully implement existing resolutions, and will continue to work with our allies and partners to uphold the sanctions on the DPRK," he added. "We will continue to work with our treaty allies in the ROK along with allies and partners around the world including those within the U.N. system to hold the DPRK to account."

ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea's official name. (Yonhap)