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The United States and North Korea have started publicly expressing their impatience with each other. In an interview with Yonhap News Tuesday, the acting chief of North Korea's UN mission reiterated the money should not only be released but the entire sum transferred to another bank - an issue that has proved unexpectedly difficult since no international bank wants to touch the funds.

"When we said we wanted the money in our hands, we meant that there has to be transfer of the money,” Kim said in an interview with the Yonhap news agency. He was the first North Korean official to make it explicit that the transfer to a bank where the North can access the money is the U.S.’ responsibility. The move seems aimed at pressuring Washington to permit North Korea free foreign exchange transactions, which U.S. Treasury sanctions have effectively stopped.

A staffer stands guard as an armored truck arrives in front of the Banco Delta Asia in Macao on April 13, where North Korea is expected to withdraw money from its recently unblocked accounts.

Victor Cha, the White House's top adviser on North Korea, was in New York on Tuesday and asked North Korean officials at the UN mission to implement the Feb. 13 agreement as soon as possible. AP quoted an unnamed U.S. official as saying Cha told the North Koreans Washington’s patience is limited. "There's no ultimatum. But there is a degree of frustration among all parties,” the official was quoted as saying.

South Korea and the U.S. are discussing ways of getting the money transferred and ensuring that North Korea does shut down its nuclear facilities. They apparently envisage first dealing with funds the U.S. Treasury deems “legitimate” ? i.e. not acquired from illicit activities. These include the accounts of North Korea's Daedong Credit Bank, whose major stockholders are foreigners. A complete solution of the issue would then be left to a working group on normalization of U.S.-North Korean relations.

But even if the U.S. guarantees the transfer of money, international banks mindful of the fate of BDA, which seems about to wind up business, are unlikely to accept the North Korean funds. Observers predict the matter could drag on much longer than expected.

(englishnews@chosun.com )