BERLIN, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has urged the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to refrain from threatening each other with military escalation.

"We urge all parties to moderate their behavior," Gabriel's spokesman Martin Schaefer said here Wednesday, adding that a military option could not be the solution to achieving a nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula.

Schaefer called for the recent United Nations (UN) sanctions to be implemented more resolutely against the DPRK. He praised U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's proposal to hold talks with Pyongyang as soon as the DPRK ceases missile testing.

U.S. President Donald Trump earlier issued an aggressive warning that the DPRK would face "fire and fury" if it engages in what Washington views as further provocations. Shortly thereafter, Pyongyang threatened to launch a preventive attack against the U.S. Pacific island of Guam.