Cho was speaking during a Ministerial Meeting at the United Nations Security Council in New York City.

It comes as tension continues to rise between North Korea - located just 50 miles north of Pyeongchang - and the United States.

"I would like to underscore that the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games should be an Olympics for peace," Cho was reported as saying by Yonhap.

He also urged North Korea to attend the Games, which are scheduled to take place from February 9 to 25, "to seize the opportunity for dialogue".

Making a rare appearance at the meeting was North Korea's permanent representative to the United Nations, Ja Song-nam.

Yonhap reports that he did not respond to Cho's calls and merely reiterated that North Korea's nuclear weapons were "an inevitable self-defensive measure" to defend itself against "threats" from the US.  

Cho also warned that North Korea is "in the final stages of nuclear weaponisation" and that the country will "fundamentally alter the security landscape in the region and beyond" if it has the capability of placing a nuclear warhead on an intercontinental ballistic missile.

"We should not be coerced by North Korea's continuing provocations, but rather uphold our principles while firmly responding to its reckless behaviours," he was reported as saying by Yonhap.

"At the same time, we should not be provoked into conflict nor should we shut the doors of dialogue and peace."

North Korean pairs figure skaters Ryom Tae-Ok and Kim Ju-Sik have qualified for Pyeongchang 2018 but missed a deadline to accept their spot, leaving it unclear how the country could compete.

An official from the Cheong Wa Dae, the executive office and official residence of the South Korean head of state, has claimed South Korea is working closely with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to persuade North Korea to participate at Pyeongchang 2018. 

"Though it's not that we're talking directly to North Korea, the IOC and other related agencies are making efforts for North Korea's participation in the Pyeongchang Olympics," senior presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan was reported as saying by Yonhap.

"We're also cooperating closely with the IOC."

Earlier this month, the IOC dismissed claims President Thomas Bach is hopeful of visiting North Korea before the turn of the year to discuss their potential participation at Pyeongchang 2018 as "pure speculation."

South Korean Government officials had reportedly suggested the IOC are in talks with Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, regarding a visit.

"The IOC is believed to be in talks with North Korea over President Bach's possible trip to Pyongyang for consultations over the North's participation in the Pyeongchang Olympics," a source said, according to Yonhap.

The South Korean news agency quotes another source as saying: "If Bach's trip is realised, it can be a positive sign for North Korea's participation in the Games."

Any visit would need to have the approval of the North Korean Government, while it would mark a shift from the IOC's position earlier this year.

Bach had vowed not to become involved in diplomatic discussions over the tense situation on the Korean peninsula in the build-up to Pyeongchang 2018.

Speaking at the IOC Session in Lima during September, Bach claimed it was the "last thing" the organisation wanted to do.

The IOC has claimed to have been "closely monitoring" the situation and believes that Pyeongchang is currently safe for competition.

It is relying on the success of the Olympic Truce signed last month, despite host nation Russia having invaded the Crimea region of Ukraine during the truce window of the last Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014.

Last week, the US' Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley backtracked on her comments that it remains an "open question" if athletes from the country will compete at Pyeongchang 2018 by insisting a full delegation will attend the event.