North Korea is unlikely to give up  its nuclear weapons program in the absence of all-out international  sanctions on the country, a former presidential advisor said  Wednesday, making his case for tougher actions against Pyongyang.

    "Against the current backdrop, North Korea's denuclearization  is surely improbable," Chun Yung-woo, former presidential advisor  for national security, said in a forum hosted by the state-run Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security.

    North Korea's will to pursue nuclear development has  overshadowed the international community's will to denuclearize the country, he said of the current situation. "In terms of durability and consistency, (the international community's) will for denuclearization policy was outmatched by North Korea's (will to pursue nuclearization)."

    The ultimate purpose of slapping sanctions is the creation of momentum for dialogue, he said, arguing that the sanctions imposed on North Korea have not been strong enough to bring the country to the negotiating table.

    "The only thing North Korea regards as more crucial than its nuclear program is regime survival, therefore it has no reason to give up nuclear weapons as long as its survival is not threatened," Chun said.

    "It's time to brandish the final card which will isolates any companies including Chinese firms that do business with North Korean state enterprises, from the international financial system," he said, calling for full-scale international sanctions on Pyongyang.

    "If North Korea is faced with sanctions that are strong enough to make North Korea think they cannot survive without giving up nuclear weapons, then there will be a possibility, albeit very little, that North Korea could come forward for talks for denuclearization," he noted. (Yonhap)