North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made an appearance at an vast military parade celebrating the birthday of his late grandfather and North Korea founder Kim Il-sung.
China also has grown increasingly frustrated with the refusal of Kim Jong Un's regime to heed its admonitions, and in February cut off imports of North Korean coal that provide Pyongyang with a crucial source of foreign currency.
Kim Jong Un didn't speak before North Korean television ended the live broadcast.
"Under the prevailing grave situation, the United States has to come to its senses and make a proper option for the solution of the problem", continued the statement, which was initially carried by the country's official Korean Central News Agency and later broadcast by Pyongyang's central radio station.
The parade may also feature some of the country's most valuable military hardware, such as its prototype intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Missiles appeared to be the main theme of a giant military parade, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un taking time to greet the commander of the Strategic Forces, the branch that oversees the missile arsenal.
Pyongyang threatened to launch a strike in response to what it's describing as American provocation.
In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, North Korea's Vice Minister Han Song Ryol said President Donald Trump's tough tweets toward Pyongyang were adding to a "vicious cycle" of tensions.
In his annual New Year's address, Kim said that the country's preparations for an ICBM launch have "reached the final stage".
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The United States a few days ago dispatched what Trump called an "armada" of ships in a show of force, including an aircraft carrier, into waters off the peninsula amid fears that North Korea was preparing another round of nuclear or missile tests.
Decked in black, Kim Jong Un, silently watched the ceremonies to commemorate his grandfather in the nation's capital city, Pyongyang.
Pyongyang has also expressed anger over the ongoing annual spring military exercises the USA holds with South Korea, which it considers a rehearsal for invasion.
Air China and North Korea's Air Koryo are the only two airlines serving that route, with the latter operating on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
At the Pentagon, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Washington was "working with worldwide partners in order to defuse the situation, but the bottom line is, North Korea has got to change its behavior".
"We don't know what - if anything - was inside the canisters since North Korea hasn't publicly shown off or tested any missile of that size before", analyst Ankit Panda wrote on The Diplomat.
This year, however, the holiday also showcased what appeared to be long-range and submarine-based missiles: weapons the country has always been warned against possessing. Analysts say commercial satellite images from recent weeks indicate increased activity around North Korea's nuclear test site. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who commanded US forces in Korea, wanted to attack the North with a nuclear weapon.
But it is also meant to send an unmistakable message to Washington, Seoul, Tokyo and other capitals about the isolated, nuclear-armed North's military might.
Unlike at some previous parades attended by Mr. Kim, there did not appear to be a senior Chinese official in attendance. An official from South Korea's defence ministry couldn't immediately confirm whether any of the rockets represented a new type of ICBM.
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