U.N. chief says no communication with North Korea is dangerous

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that he is alarmed by the risk of military escalation on the Korean Peninsula. "The absence of communication channels with the DPRK (North Korea) is dangerous," he told the 15-member council. "We need to avoid miscalculation and misunderstanding. We need to act now to prevent conflict and achieve sustainable peace." (Reporting by Michelle Nichols and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)