After US President Joe Biden and his South Korean counterpart threatened to end North Korea's leadership if it uses its nuclear arsenal, the Chinese foreign ministry warned the duo against "provoking confrontation".

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, "All parties should face up to the crux of the (Korean) peninsula issue and play a constructive role in promoting a peaceful settlement of the issue," adding that "deliberately stirring up tensions, provoking confrontation and playing up threats" should be avoided.

During a summit in Washington, both Yoon Suk-yeol and Biden stated that the response would be catastrophic if the DPRK attacked either country, agreeing that US protection of South Korea will be strengthened.

Read more: DPRK fires two test 'strategic' missiles amid US-South Korea drills

In turn, China claimed that the US neglects "regional security and insists on exploiting the peninsula issue to create tension," with Mao stating that  "what the US is doing ... provokes confrontation between camps, undermines the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the strategic interests of other countries".

According to Mao, the US "aggravate[s] tensions on the peninsula, undermine[s] regional peace and stability, and run[s] counter to the goal of denuclearization on the peninsula."

The South Korean trip to the US comes in the context of advances in the DPRK's nuclear program, specifically the launching of the Hwansong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, while Washington and Seoul have stepped up drills simulating a landing in the DPRK, further stoking tensions in the peninsula.

Spying on allies

The recent Pentagon leaks revealed that the US has actively spied on South Korean officials, creating tensions between the two countries. However, Yoon claimed in an NBC interview aired on Tuesday, that the leaks will have no impact on the "trust" between the two countries.

Some lawmakers of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party voiced "strong regret" over the leaks, referring to it as a clear violation of national sovereignty and a major security failure of the Yoon administration.

The leaks revealed that South Korea had agreed to send artillery shells to the United States in order to help it restock its ammo, but Seoul insisted that the "end user" should be the American military, as senior South Korean officials were concerned internally that the US would send them to Ukraine.