The United States urged North Korea on Thursday to refrain from threatening regional peace and stability after the communist nation warned it could carry out a nuclear test and a long-range rocket launch.
  

Earlier in the day, a North Korean diplomat, Ri Tong-il, told a press conference on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Malaysia that a future nuclear test by the communist country will depend on the attitude of the United States.
  

Ri repeated the North's long-running accusations the U.S. is trying to topple the regime in Pyongyang.
  

He also said the North has the right to launch satellites amid concerns the country could carry out a long-range rocket launch around October to mark the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party. The North has long been accused of using satellite launches to test its missile technology.
  

"We are aware of the remarks," State Department spokesperson Katina Adams told Yonhap News Agency. "We continue to call on North Korea to comply with its international commitments and obligations and refrain from actions that threaten regional peace and security."
  

North Korea has conducted three underground nuclear tests so far, in 2006, 2009 and 2013. The country has also conducted a series of long-range missile or rocket launches since 1998. In its most recent launch in late 2012, the North put a satellite in orbit.
  

Analysts have warned that it is only a matter of time until the North develops nuclear-tipped missiles. Some experts have recently warned that the communist nation's nuclear arsenal could expand to as many as 100 bombs by 2020. (Yonhap)