North Korea has warned the United States against increasing sanctions, after no progress was made at the latest round of six-party nuclear disarmament talks.

Washington's chief envoy to multinational talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program says discussions will continue for one more full day before he returns home. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Beijing, where the talks are being held, Pyongyang reportedly remains intensely focused on financial sanctions issues.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Thursday rejected linkage between talks on North Korea's nuclear program and U.S. penalties on Pyongyang for illicit financial activity. North Korean efforts to connect the two are said to have stalled the latest round of six-party nuclear talks in Beijing. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.

The latest round of North Korean nuclear talks are entering a fifth - and what may be the final day - in Beijing. As VOA Correspondent Kurt Achin reports from the Chinese capital, there is little hope of progress.

U.S. and North Korean envoys to the six-party talks in Beijing on dismantling the reclusive communist state's nuclear weapons held another one-on-one meeting Wednesday after failing to narrow their differences a day earlier. From the Chinese capital, Roger Wilkison reports that negotiators from China, Japan, Russia and South Korea will later join them to discuss how North Korea can implement a pledge it made more than a year ago to disarm in exchange for aid and security guarantees.

United States Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow says it is possible to resolve financial issues holding up progress in dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons. In an exclusive interview, Alexander Vershbow also tells VOA's Seoul correspondent Kurt Achin there will only be progress at this week's nuclear disarmament talks if Pyongyang shows what he calls "seriousness."

China says progress can be made at next week's six-party North Korean nuclear disarmament talks if the participants adopt a flexible and pragmatic attitude. Roger Wilkison reports from Beijing, where the talks will resume after a 13-month boycott by North Korea.