Autch!

South Korea has reportedly stepped up to the plate and will handle the funds from the BDA through their state-run Export-Import Bank, says China Matters. Barring further shenanigans by Treasury, that should allow the DPRK to shut down their reactor and for talks to continue.

In the comments to that post, commenter David links to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune that quotes the owner of the bank saying that the US government specifically asked them to continue to handle DPRK banking after they reported that a North Korean deposited counterfeit US dollars in an account.

But Au said 'agents of the United States' told him not to terminate dealings with the North Koreans after his firm reported an incident in 1994 that he described as the only one 'in which a significant quantity of counterfeit U.S. dollars was deposited with the Bank by a North Korean client'.

Certainly, this whole affair has given the world a portrait of the United States government as untrustworthy, dishonest, and incompetent. Just as certain, the portrait is an accurate view of the US after six years of Feckless Leader's reign of error.