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North Korea has been insisting it will not return to the six-party nuclear disarmament talks, unless the United States lifts financial sanctions. But pressure on the communist country is apparently intensifying, as a major South Korean bank has joined U.S.-led efforts to stem North Korea's alleged money laundering activities.

As of February 1, KEB suspended all business transactions with Banco Delta Asia, a Macao-based bank accused by the U.S. government of being involved in the North Korean activities. KEB was the only lender in the South that had transactions with Banco Delta Asia.

In recent months, the U.S. has been cracking down on firms suspected of involvement in Pyongyang's illicit activities, such as counterfeiting, money laundering and drug trafficking. And last September, the U.S. Treasury Department had banned all American banks from dealing with Banco Delta Asia.

Japan, one of America's closet allies, are also seeing two of its banks, Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Mizuho Corporate Bank cut their business ties with the Macao-based bank. The Korean and Japanese banks deny their governments had any influence in their latest decisions.

However, with both countries involved in the six-party nuclear talks, financial sanctions on Pyongyang will most likely affect the upcoming disarmament negotiations.

Arirang News