Using large sticks, not carrot, to convince N Korea to talk: Tillerson

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday said that Washington is now using "large sticks" instead of a carrot to bring Pyongyang to the table for multilateral negotiations.

"We're not using a carrot to convince them to talk. We're using large sticks. And that is what they need to understand," Tillerson told CBS News's Margaret Brennan in a segment for Sunday's "60 Minutes" program.

He further said that he is "listening" for an indication from North Korea that they are ready for direct talks.

"I am listening. I am not sending a lot of messages back because there's nothing to say to them at this point. So I am listening for you to tell me you are ready to talk," Tillerson said.

The US and North Korea have long been engaged in back-and-forth barbs over the latter's threat of a nuclear attack, however, the Pyongyang participation in the winter Olympics in Seoul raised the speculation of direct talks.

"They will tell me," Tillerson said.

"We receive messages from them, and I think it will be very explicit as to how we want to have that first conversation," Tillerson added.

Last week, North Korea's United Nations mission slammed the UN and United States' decision of imposing sanctions on the isolated country due to its persistent nuclear missile tests.