SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said on Tuesday that the United States’ decision to postpone a joint military drill with South Korea was not enough of an incentive for it to return to the negotiating table, and that it would not discuss denuclearization until Washington ended its “hostile policy.”

On Sunday, the United States defense secretary, Mark T. Esper, and his South Korean counterpart, Jeong Kyeong-doo, together announced​ that the allies would postpone a joint air force drill scheduled for later this month. They described it as “an act of good will” aimed at bringing North Korea back to the negotiating table.

But the North remained unsatisfied.

“We demand that the U.S. quit the drill or stop it once and for all,” Kim Yong-chol, chairman of the North’s Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday. “The suspension of the drill does not mean ensuring peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and is not helpful to the diplomatic efforts for the settlement of issues.”

Mr. Kim said​, “The U.S. should not dream of the negotiations for denuclearization before dropping its hostile policy” toward the North.