Rex Tillerson scolds UN for not enforcing sanctions against North Korea

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson scolded the UN Security Council on Friday for not fully enforcing sanctions against North Korea, saying if the body had acted, tensions over its nuclear program might not have escalated.

"Had this body fully enforced and stood behind resolutions enacted in the past, vigorously enforcing sanctions with full compliance, perhaps we would not have found ourselves confronted with the high level of tension we face today," he told the 15-member council at the end of a meeting on North Korea.

"We will not negotiate our way back to the negotiating table with North Korea, we will not reward their violations of past resolutions, we will not reward their bad behavior with talks," he added.

Tillerson said on Thursday that China had asked North Korea not to conduct any more nuclear tests. Beijing had warned Pyongyang it would impose unilateral sanctions if it went ahead, he added. Tillerson did not say when China made the threat. 

China banned imports of North Korean coal in February, cutting off its most important export, and Chinese media in April raised the possibility of restricting oil shipments to the North if it unleashed more provocations.