U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has criticized North Korea for continuing its unlawful nuclear program and provocations.

Blinken issued the criticism on Monday in a speech at the Tenth Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference at the UN headquarters in New York.

The top U.S. diplomat said North Korea continues to expand its unlawful nuclear program and continues its ongoing provocations against the region, stressing that the world faced a "critical moment."

Bliken said that as the participants gathered for the meeting, Pyongyang is preparing to conduct its seventh nuclear test.

Seoul and Washington have said that North Korea has effectively completed its preparations for a nuclear test and that it may be just waiting for the right timing.

Blinken also said that the U.S. is willing to cooperate with all the other nuclear states, including China, in order to reduce the global nuclear threats.