NK speaks

NK is no longer mum, no deal unless all their funds in the bank are released. There are incredible contradictions in the press on this, rival administration officials are probably calling 'their reporters' non stop. There's a lot of articles out there, but they're not front page material, yet. Some headlines:

N. Korea Sends Mixed Signal on Nuke Plan

North Korea demands money before nuclear closure

North Korea insists US must lift money curbs

N. Korea plans to shut down nuke reactor

North Korea Wants Money Before Shutting Nuclear Plant (Update5)

N Korea refuses to shut down nuke facility

It seems that the Treasury Department has tried to kill the deal despite an audit that found no evidence that the bank was involved in money laundering. U.S. Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes Daniel Glaser essentially kicked the bank out of the US system, and now maintains that it is up to the Macao government to decide what to do. He is in Macao now, so it will be interesting to see if this is just buck passing, letting Macao release the funds, or something still more byzantine.