A special security adviser to President Moon Jae-in called on North Korea to produce concrete steps to overcome a big "trust gap" that exists between it and the U.S. following the failed Hanoi summit in February.

Moon Chung-in, special adviser on unification, diplomacy and security affairs, made the remarks on Wednesday at an event at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. 

The special adviser said that Washington wants a "big deal" in which it will lift sanctions after the North's complete denuclearization, while Pyongyang wants to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear site first before making further concessions.

Moon expected that if North Korea makes full progress in its denuclearization, it would ultimately lead to a resolution of the sanctions issue. 

He added that if the two sides could discuss and agree on political and military security guarantees for North Korea, Pyongyang would take “proper steps.”

The special adviser then urged the North to show something more than a willingness to freeze its existing program, and called on the U.S. to present more specific and clear ideas about what it can offer in return.

[Photo : YONHAP News]