Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that "cavalier" threats to start war on the Korean Peninsula are "dangerous and short-sighted," urging the United States to get all parties to the negotiating table.

Clinton also called on China to take a "more out-front role" in enforcing sanctions against North Korea aimed at curbing its missile and nuclear development.

"There is no need for us to be bellicose and aggressive (over North Korea)," said Clinton at a forum in the South Korean capital, Seoul, stressing the need for greater pressure on North Korea and diplomacy to bring Pyongyang to talks.