Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill says that the potential for reform in North Korea appears grim.

The outgoing U.S. ambassador to Iraq and former chief U.S. nuclear envoy made the remarks in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday.

Hill said that in comparison to Iraq, North Korea presents more of a challenge because in the North, asking the regime to reform is asking it to agree to being destroyed.

Hill served as the U.S. chief nuclear envoy when North Korea destroyed the cooling tower of its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon in June 2008. He also served as the U.S. ambassador to South Korea.