A senior U.S. State Department official vowed to continue the pressure campaign against North Korea to deter illicit acts carried out by Pyongyang.

In a telephone briefing on Monday after attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson said that illicit ship-to-ship transfers were a lifeline funding North Korea's nuclear and missile program.

She said that goods imported into North Korea via transshipment, whether coal, oil or luxury items, land in the hands of the Kim Jong-un regime, not the North Korean people, and eventually go towards nuclear and missile development.

Thompson said that countries in the region are aware of this fact and are joining efforts to counter such behavior. She said the U.S. is grateful for all collaborative operations taking place in the region and will continue the pressure campaign.

The under secretary added that President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo remain unchanged in their resolve to continue pressuring the regime until North Korea denuclearizes.