Topic: U.S. And N. Korea To Address Dispute

Philadelphia Inquirer
January 8, 2007

SEOUL, South Korea - The United States and North Korea have reached a tentative agreement to hold talks on a dispute over U.S. financial restrictions against the North in the week starting Jan. 22, South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min Soon said yesterday.
The financial dispute was the main stumbling block that deadlocked last month's six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear programs. The North insisted that Washington lift the restrictions before disarmament discussions began in earnest.
The United States imposed the curbs against a Macau-based bank holding North Korean accounts in response to the North's alleged involvement in counterfeiting and money laundering. That led to a freezing of North Korean assets at the bank, worth about $24 million. - AP