North Korea has refused to sign a non-aggression pact that U.S. Sectary of State John Kerry offered last week on condition of denuclearization.
In a statement carried by the North's official state media on Saturday, the National Defence Commission spokesman said the U.S. should stop sanctions meant to punish its February nuclear test and provocations including military exercises on the Korean Peninsula.
During his trip to Japan, Secretary of State John Kerry said the door for negotiation with North Korea is open if it abandons nuclear weapons and complies with international demands.
The North's statement came as the mother of an American held in North Korea visited her son for the first time in his 11-month detention.