U.S. President Barack Obama has stressed that nobody wants to see a conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

Obama made the remark at the White House on Thursday after meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Obama said he and Ban agreed that “now is the time for North Korea to end the kind of belligerent approach that they've been taking and to try to lower temperatures."

He added that the U.S. will continue to try to work to resolve issues regarding the North diplomatically and take all necessary steps to protect its people and to meet its obligations under its alliances in the region.

Ban expressed deep concerns about escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and stressed that the North should not stand opposite the international community.