WASHINGTON, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) --- The recent test-firing of five missiles by Pyongyang does not change U.S policy, said the State Department on Tuesday, adding that the United States is "interested in seeing a resumption of the six-party process."

    "We're interested in seeing North Korea recommit to its obligations that it's made in the past few years." said State Department spokesman Philip Crowley at the daily press briefing.

    "Our position remains the same: North Korea has to eventually come back to the six-party process and recommit towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said Crowley, adding that the administration has not decided to resume bilateral talks with Pyongyang.

    The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday test-fired five short-range missiles off its east coast, and also issued a navigation ban in waters off its east and west coasts from Oct. 10 to 20.

    Reacting to the test-firing, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is visiting Russia, said on Monday that the U.S. goal of a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula remains "unaffected" by Pyongyang's behavior.

    The Obama administration claims that the bilateral talks with Pyongyang should be in the DPRK's denuclearization process guided by the six-party talks mechanism, which involved also China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia.

    According to an agreement signed at the six-party talks in February 2007, the Bush administration agreed to begin discussion on normalization of relations with the DPRK, in exchange for Pyongyang's shutdown of its nuclear facilities.

    Dismissing international opposition, the DPRK conducted an underground nuclear test on May 25 and since then has fired at least seven ballistic missiles. It also boycotted the six-party talks on its nuclear program.

    Responding to Pyongyang's behavior, the Obama administration has decided to extend economic sanctions by prolonging the national emergency on the DPRK and has vowed to enforce sanctions against Pyongyang set in the UN Security Council Resolution 1874.