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AFP
Ri said the sanctions would "not put North Korea on their knees".
The North Korean Foreign Minister warned that there was "no way" for his country to disarm while the United States continues to impose sanctions.
Ri Yong-ho told the United Nations General Assembly that the sanctions reinforced North Korea's distrust of the United States.
Pyongyang has repeatedly demanded that UN and US sanctions be lifted and supported by Russia and China.
But the Trump Administration said the sanctions should remain in effect until North Korea's denuclearization.
President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met at a landmark summit in June, during which Kim pledged to work for nuclear disarmament. Since then, tangible progress has been limited.
What did Ri say?
He said the United States insisted on a policy of "denuclearization first" that "increased the level of sanctions".
"The recent stalemate is due to the fact that the United States relies on coercive measures that are lethal to build trust," Ri told the assembly.
"Without trust in the United States, we will not trust our national security and in such circumstances it is impossible to unilaterally disarm first."
"The perception that sanctions can put us on our knees is the dream of those who do not know us," he added.
What has happened since Singapore?
An agreement concluded there that North Korea would work towards denuclearization, but that it did not include any timetable, detail or mechanism to verify the process.
In August, President Trump accused North Korea's ally of undermining progress on denuclearization because of its trade dispute with the United States.
However, earlier this month, South Korean leader Moon Jae-in made a three-day visit to Pyongyang, the first of a southern leader in the northern capital for a decade.
Mr Moon said he "could have confirmed President Kim's firm commitment to carry out denuclearization" and that he also expressed his wish to meet Mr Trump again.
Mr Kim also pledged to dismantle North Korea's main missile test and launch site, and said he could downgrade the main nuclear test site if the United States took any action. reciprocal measures.
Mr Trump said he hoped to hold a second summit with Mr Kim in "a not too distant future".
