US Secretary of State John Kerry addressed North Korea via reporters after talks in Seoul, South Korea, warning that proceeding with planned medium-range missile tests would be a "huge mistake."

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Kerry arrived in Seoul to address escalating threats between North Korea, South Korea and the US. In a news conference held with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Kerry stated that "North Korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power...The rhetoric we are hearing is simply unacceptable," according to CNN.

If North Korea were willing to discuss denuclearization, Kerry said, diplomatic talks would still be on the table as an alternative to war.

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Speaking of China, North Korea's most powerful ally, Kerry urged leaders to "put some teeth into" their stated policy of denuclearization along the Korean peninsula. 

Kerry's tour of Asia will include stops in China and Japan.

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