North Korea can't afford to recant its commitment to the U.S. to denuclearize, according to South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

“North Korea’s economy is in huge difficulty due to international sanctions,” Moon told French newspaper Le Figaro, according to a transcript by his office cited by Bloomberg. “If it breaks the agreement, it will not be able to afford the retribution from the U.S. and the international community.”

Moon's comments come as the rogue nation was estimated to have experienced its sharpest economic decline since 1997, Bloomberg reported.

His remarks also follow Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's return last week from the region. Pompeo said the trip marked "real progress" regarding the accord President Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un struck in Singapore in June that included a loosely defined framework to roll back the hermit kingdom's nuclear program.

Delegates for North and South Korea are expected to meet on Monday to follow-up a summit in September between Kim and Moon, in which they agreed to connect the countries' roads and railways, according to South Korea's Yonhap News. They will reportedly also talk about plans to set-up a joint military committee as they work toward denuclearization on the peninsula.

[Opinion: When it comes to North Korea, Moon and Trump are on very different pages]