A senior U.S. official said Washington opposes reducing or lifting sanctions against Pyongyang in an effort to stimulate dialogue resumption after the regime's repeated ballistics tests.

The remarks came from the State Department's Deputy Special Representative for North Korea Jung Pak on Thursday, during a webinar hosted by the Washington-based Center for a New American Security(CNAS).

Referring to calls to reduce or lift sanctions as a means of convincing the North to return to negotiations, Pak said she strongly disagrees with that proposal as Pyongyang advances and demonstrates its nuclear capabilities.

Her position corresponds to the Biden administration's position that it will not offer sanctions relief to induce the North to return to dialogue.

Reiterating Washington's stance that it remains committed to dialogue with Pyongyang, Pak said such an approach, however, will not prevent the U.S. from calling out the North's bad behavior.

Pak's comments followed an announcement by Seoul and Washington that Pyongyang's two missile launches, conducted on February 27 and March 5, respectively, had involved a new intercontinental ballistic missile(ICBM) system.