Only a month and five days after their funds were unfrozen (10 April) at Banco Delta Asia (BDA), North Korea has found a new bank – in the obligatory “third country” – willing to accept its tainted funds:

North Korea said on Tuesday it may soon receive the frozen funds it demanded be returned before it would start to shut down its nuclear reactor, source of its weapons-grade plutonium.

“Currently, a process is ongoing to wire the funds in Macau’s Banco Delta Asia to our bank account in a third country… If the money transfer has been completed, we will immediately take steps to close nuclear facilities as agreed upon under the February 13 deal,” the North Korean [KCNA] spokesman said.

The time needed for North Korea to shutdown and seal the reactor ranges anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on how far they go (e.g., just shutting down the reactor and sealing that vs. removing, storing, and sealing the fuel rods as well, or somewhere in-between).