NORTH Korea must make “serious moves” towards giving up its nuclear weapons programme before talks with the EU can take place, Boris Johnson has said.

The Foreign Secretary and EU counterparts agreed a statement strongly condemning Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile testing programme as a “serious threat to international peace and security”.

Johnson hinted at splits within the EU over how to deal with Kim Jong-un’s regime, with some countries keen to engage with Pyongyang before meaningful steps are taken to end its weapons programmes.

At the conclusion of a meeting in Brussels, Johnson said the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council had agreed “some tough words” on North Korea.

He said: “There are some people who think we should engage early with Pyongyang. We absolutely disagree with that.

“They have got to make serious moves towards denuclearising their country before it is right for us to begin a proper dialogue, and I’m glad the council conclusions reflected that.”

The council’s statement reaffirmed the EU’s policy of “critical engagement” with Pyongyang, using sanctions and other measures while “keeping communication and dialogue channels open”.

That process was a way to push for North Korea’s compliance with United Nations resolutions “in terms of abandoning its nuclear, WMD [weapons of mass destruction] and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner and progress on all other issues of concern”.

“The council urges the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] to make credible progress on its obligations to denuclearise, enabling negotiations leading to a peaceful solution.”

North Korea raised the stakes earlier this month with a test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that its defence officials said marked the “final step” in creating a “confident and powerful nuclear state that can strike anywhere on earth”.

Johnson said progress was being made with calls for China to use its influence on Pyongyang, but there was “more to be done”.

He said: “We remain absolutely determined to try to get the North Koreans to see sense and to continue to put pressure on the regime in Pyongyang, and we think the best way to do that is, of course, to put pressure on the Chinese, and we are seeing some progress there but there is more to be done.”