Sanctions on Pyongyang are not meant to target the North Korean people, the White House said Friday, stressing the importance of humanitarian aid. 

In a press briefing, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki made this remark when asked whether North Korea's economic woes, which its leader says are the worst since the 1990s famine, create any additional security risks for the U.S. and whether there is any obligation to deal with the humanitarian crisis.

Psaki said North Koreans are in the condition and circumstance they’re in because of the actions of their leadership and insisted that no U.S. actions or sanctions are targeted at the North Korean people. 

She said the U.S. continues to work with international leaders and organizations to provide humanitarian assistance as it is something the U.S. believes is important and vital from a humane standpoint, even while having issues with the North's nuclear aspirations.

Her remarks come after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un urged his country to prepare for a "tougher arduous march" amid economic difficulties during a party grassroots unit meeting held Thursday. 

Continued global sanctions and pandemic-triggered border closures are believed to have dealt a harsh blow to the North Korean economy.