The White House says the United States continues to pressure North Korea to abide by its international obligations.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters on Tuesday that Washington’s position regarding the North is “unchanged.” He made the remark after being asked to comment on President Barack Obama’s announcement in June that Washington was extending sanctions against Pyongyang for one more year.

Carney said the U.S. is continuously working with its international partners “to pressure North Korea to get right with the international community, to abide by its obligations and, in doing so, to end its isolation.”

In a notice sent to Congress in June, Obama said North Korea poses an "unusual and extraordinary threat" to the U.S. and announced that his country will continue to extend the national emergency with respect to the threat from the communist state. As a result, the U.S. economic sanctions on the North will remain valid until June of next year.