SINGAPORE, Aug. 6 (CGTN) -- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho has accused the US of dragging its feet in building mutual confidence.

He made the remark on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Singapore.

The US has failed to respond to measures taken by Pyongyang toward fulfilling its denuclearization commitment, such as the suspension of missile tests and the removal of a major nuclear site, the foreign minister said.

Ri said both sides need to take "simultaneous actions and phased steps."

Ri also warned the DPRK will not start denuclearizing unless Washington takes reciprocal actions.

The foreign minister said instead of responding to measures taken by the DPRK, the US is raising its voice louder for maintaining the sanctions against the country.

The US has been stressing the importance of maintaining sanctions until Pyongyang achieves complete and fully verifiable denuclearization.

Mr. Dong Manyuan, a senior research fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said the two sides still lack mutual trust. The DPRK is alarmed that the US is not taking any reciprocal actions. At the same time, it demands economic assistance from the US, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Ri is scheduled to visit Iran on Tuesday. Dong said the visit is a very important diplomatic action. Currently, Iran is also facing tremendous pressure from the US, and the two sides want to learn from each other's experiences in dealing with the US. The DPRK also wants to coordinate actions with Iran and seek support from it.