US focused on N. Korea's denuclearization, not talks: White House

The United States is focused on denuclearizing North Korea through aggressive diplomatic and economic measures that do not currently include dialogue, the White House said Tuesday.

North Korea carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test on Sunday, claiming it was a successful detonation of an H-bomb that can be mounted on a long-range missile.

Pyongyang has warned of more "gift packages" for the U.S. as Washington moves to slap further sanctions on the regime through the U.N. Security Council.

"The priority of the administration is to have a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and it's also to protect American citizens," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said during a news briefing. "In terms of negotiations, we're looking at putting aggressive measures, both diplomatically and economically."

She went further to clarify: "Now is not the time for us to spend a lot of time focused on talking with North Korea."

Describing North Korea as a "global threat," Sanders also urged other countries, including China and Russia, to do more to rein in the regime.

"All options are on the table, and we'll continue to keep them on the table until we get the results that we're looking for," she said. (Yonhap)