WASHINGTON: The United States on Tuesday criticized North Korea for cutting communications lines with the South and urged Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table.

"The United States has always supported progress in inter-Korean relations, and we are disappointed in the DPRK's recent actions," a State Department spokesperson said.

"We urge the DPRK to return to diplomacy and cooperation," she said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.