hankyoreh

The amount of frozen North Korean funds held in a Macau bank totals $24 million, a Hong Kong newspaper said Sunday.

The South China Morning Post claimed Pyongyang's desire to see U.S.-imposed sanctions on Banco Delta Asia (BDA) lifted is a clear indication that the sanctions are hurting the communist country.

Quoting an unnamed source, the paper also said freezing the Macau account not only affected the flow of money into the isolated country, but may have affected personal holdings of North Korean leaders.

The U.S. Treasury took steps to freeze the North Korean money in November, accusing the bank of laundering money that Pyongyang accrued through illicit means. BDA is undergoing a restructuring program that may include the sale of the bank to a new owner.

On Friday, Han Song-ryol, the deputy chief of North Korea's mission to the United Nations, told Yonhap News Agency that Pyongyang is willing to return to the six-party talks if the United States lifts its sanction against BDA.

Hong Kong, July 9 (Yonhap News)