The nominee for U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs says North Korea must implement the September 19th Joint Statement and fulfill denuclearization obligations.

Wendy Sherman made the call on Wednesday during her confirmation hearing at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Without Pyongyang meeting its commitments for denuclearization, she said the U.S. has "no good choices" on the regime. The nominee said if the North fails to scrap its nuclear and missile programs and normalize ties with the international community, it will continue to face isolation.

The long time confidant of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also said it is important for Washington to use both "carrots and sticks" in dealing with Pyongyang. She also hinted that she is in line with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s policy, saying that "it makes no sense to have talks just for the sake of talks."

Sherman served as special coordinator for North Korea policy from 1997 to 2001.