Washington (CNN) US Vice President Mike Pence warned North Korea that it could end up like Libya if it fails to make a nuclear deal with Washington.

"There was some talk about the Libyan model last week, and you know, as the President made clear, this will only end like the Libyan model ended if Kim Jong Un doesn't make a deal," Pence said Monday.

When it was noted that the comparison could be interpreted as a threat, Pence told Fox News: "Well, I think it's more of a fact."

Previous comments, by President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, that the administration was looking at Libya as a potential example for North Korea to follow, provoked alarm in Pyongyang.

Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi agreed to abandon his nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief in the early 2000s. Within years, Gadhafi was overthrown and killed by rebels backed by Washington. North Korea has suggested multiple times in the past that its perceived need for a strong nuclear deterrent is based on US military aggression in the Middle East and elsewhere.

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