US uses 'stick' solution to force North Korea to return to negotiations

"We are not using carrots to persuade them to negotiate. We are using big sticks. North Korea needs to understand this,"The Hillquoted US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in an interview scheduled to air on CBS on February 18, implying that Washington maintains a tough stance on North Korea's nuclear issue.

Secretary of State Tillerson stressed that the pressure campaign by the US and its allies, including economic sanctions, "is working on North Korea."

South Korea and North Korea recently resumed dialogue after years of tensions, fueling speculation about the possibility of direct talks between Washington and Pyongyang soon.

"My job as secretary of state is to make sure the North Koreans understand that we keep the channels of communication open," he said.Tillerson said.I'm listening. I'm not sending a lot of messages to North Korea because right now there's nothing to say to them. So I'm listening and waiting for them to say they're ready to talk."

Also last week, US Vice President Mike Pence announced that Washington and Seoul had agreed to leave open the possibility of moving towards direct US-North Korea negotiations to promote the denuclearization process on the Korean peninsula without preconditions.