Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has backtracked for an early offer of unconditional talks with North Korea.
Tillerson told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that "North Korea must earn its way back to the table."
Tillerson floated the idea of talks without preconditions earlier in the week during a "period of quiet" in North Korean weapons tests. He was quickly contradicted by the White House.
Tillerson said Friday that diplomatic discussions must be preceded by a "sustained cessation" of the North's threatening behavior.
He said the campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea "must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved."
Tillerson added: "We will in the meantime keep our channels of communication open."
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