Pence - Any U.S. talks with North Korea would press denuclearisation demand

FILE PHOTO - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, North Korea's nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's younger sister Kim Yo Jong attend the opening ceremony. Yonhap via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is open to talks with North Korea, but only to convey the U.S. stance that "the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet" must give up its nuclear weapons, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday.

Pence told the Axios news outlet in an interview the United States would continue to intensify diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea and that the sanctions would not be lifted until it abandoned its weapons programs.