The United States says it cannot send additional food aid to North Korea without assurances from Pyongyang that it will reach its people.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters Wednesday that the U.S. currently has no plans to provide additional food aid to North Korea, but future humanitarian shipments would require assurances that food was appropriately distributed.

Kelly said that while the U.S. remains very concerned about the well-being of the North Korean people, Washington must have an adequate program to monitor and access provisions.

He cited that some 22-thousand metric tons in food aid were in storage in March when North Korea expelled nongovernmental organization (NGO) monitors in line with its decision to reject U.S. food aid. He added that the U.S. has learned that the North has subsequently distributed the food.