North Korea says continued sanctions deepening mistrust in US

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho told the United Nations on Saturday that continued sanctions on Pyongyang were deepening its mistrust in the United States.

"Without any trust in the USthere will be no confidence in our national security and under such circumstances there is no way we will unilaterally disarm ourselves first," Ri told the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.

He accused the United States of hindering peace efforts on the Korean peninsula with its insistence on enforcing tough economic sanctions.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Ri said "the recent deadlock is because the US relies on coercive measures which are lethal to trust-building."