The attempted firing of a mid-range ballistic missile on Friday by North Korea, although it failed, marks the latest in a string of sabre-rattling moves that, if unchecked, will lead the country down a blind alley.

The BM-25 missile, or "Musudan," with a range of 3,000 km, is able to reach the US territory of Guam in the Pacific, according to the South Korean Yonhap news agency.

Although Pyongyang has not confirmed the firing, the timing, coming on the "Day of the Sun" that celebrates the birthday of late North Korean founder Kim Il Sung, is widely believed to have been an attempt to show defiance against the ongoing US-South Korea military drills and the latest sanctions brought by the UN Security Council resolution last month.

Within just 100 days, North Korea has conducted a nuclear test and a satellite launch, which was widely taken as a disguised ballistic missile test.

Pyongyang's interpretation of the resolution as a sign of animosity is injudicious. Largely caused by the alarming lack of trust between North Korea and the United States, its show of nuclear force has blatantly breached the UN resolution and betrayed the global aspiration to achieve denuclearization in the Korean Peninsula through talks.

Besides, the pertinacious show of force will prove counterproductive to Pyongyang itself.

These provocations have played into the meddling hands of the US and Japan, which have long looked for excuses to rock the boat in Northeast Asia by enhancing their military presence. Such actions will severely menace North Korea's security and disturb the regional strategic balance.

Secondly, Pyongyang has undermined its credibility by accusing Washington and Seoul of spoiling the atmosphere for dialogue, while coming up with a tit-for-tat response that will create the same effect, fueling the already simmering peninsular situation brought about by its nuclear tests.

Finally, North Korea's relentless muscle flexing will worsen the vicious circle of provocations and sanctions. Nuclear weapons will not make Pyongyang safer. On the contrary, its costly military endeavors will keep on suffocating its economy.

The only viable solution for all parties is to resume the China-proposed Six-Party Talks so as to achieve denuclearization and replace the Korean armistice with a peace agreement. This will meet the interests of all parties including the US and North Korea, and will not give rise to the unequal dialogues Pyongyang fears.

Pyongyang's claim that dialogue cannot coexist with sanctions does not hold water either, for sanctions are not an end in themselves but a means to curb North Korea's repeated violation of UN resolutions and bring the parties back to the negotiating table.

It is high time for all parties to realize their due responsibilities and practice restraint and flexibility in order to achieve denuclearization in the Peninsula as soon as possible.

The article is a commentary from the Xinhua News Agency. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn Follow us on Twitter @GTopinion