Anchor: U.S. and North Korean officials collided at a disarmament conference in Geneva over denuclearization and sanctions relief. Following the collapse of the nuclear summit in Hanoi last month, the two sides remain adamant in their positions.
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: At the U.N.-sponsored Conference of Disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday, officials from Washington and Pyongyang collided over maintaining nuclear sanctions. 

[Sound bite: Yleem Poblete - U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance] 
“North Korea must understand that the only way to achieve the security and development that it seeks is to abandon all of its weapons of mass destruction, all of its ballistic missile programs as numerous UN Security Council resolutions demand."

With U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Yleem Poblete pressing his regime, North Korean diplomat Ju Yong-chol responded that the U.S. came up with the "preposterous argument that sanctions relief is impossible prior to denuclearization."

[Sound bite: Ju Yong-chol - N. Korean diplomat stationed in Geneva (English)]
"The U.S. publicly recognized the DPRK had discontinued nuclear tests and rocket launches for the past 15 months. However, it does nothing to remove U.S. sanctions as corresponding measures."

The nuclear summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un broke down in Hanoi last month. The North at the meeting called for lifting key U.S.-led UN sanctions for taking denuclearization measures while the U.S. found the idea insufficient. 

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui held a news conference last week with diplomats and foreign reporters, saying that her country could suspend its negotiations with the U.S. Choe hinted that the current moratorium on nuclear and missile tests could be reconsidered as well. 

During the disarmament conference, Ju said that differences between North Korea and the U.S. should be handled one-by-one in a manner that builds trust. 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told KSNT NBC News on Monday that the issue is not about trust, but verification. Pompeo stressed that his government will maintain the strongest sanctions on North Korea.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.