More than $20m belonging to North Korea that was frozen in a bank account in Macau has been transferred, opening the way to possible progress in the nuclear dispute with the United States. This report from Mark Gregory:

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Getting the money back has been a major priority for North Korea's negotiators in talks over the country's controversial nuclear programme ever since. In February the US agreed in principle that the money should be returned, but it didn't lift restrictions in place on banks around the world having any dealings with North Korea. The result was that no bank was willing to physically handle the money locked up in BDA and get it back to North Korea. They were worried about breaking US law.

North Korea meanwhile suspended implementation of a deal to decommission a reactor until it got the money back. Now in the latest compromise it seems the money will be routed back to North Korea via the US and Russia. A Russian bank has apparently agreed to handle the cash in return for written confirmation that it will face no penalty for breaching US rules prohibiting dealings with North Korea.

Mark Gregory, BBC

Listen to the words

obscure
not well-known, unnoticed

to launder the proceeds
to transfer money through a foreign bank or business to hide its illegal origin

currency forging
making fake banknotes

frozen
prevented from being used

lift restrictions in place
cancel existing official rules that limit what people can do

to physically handle
to actually deal with, to touch

suspended implementation of
stopped carrying out

to decommission
to take something out of use, or to make it unusable

compromise
an agreement in which people reduce their demands in order to agree

face no penalty
not be punished

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