US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki criticized on Saturday an offer by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to suspend future nuclear tests temporarily if Washington agreed to temporarily halt military exercises with the Republic of Korea this year.

Psaki told reporters that the DPRK statement "inappropriately" links routine US-ROK exercises to the possibility of a nuclear test and called the proposal an "implicit threat".

"We called on the DPRK to immediately cease all threats, reduce tensions and take the necessary steps toward denuclearization needed to resume credible negotiations," said Psaki, who was traveling with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich en route to India.