North Korea is still having trouble recovering $25m (€18m, £12.5m) in previously frozen assets that are crucial to implementing the six-party deal towards denuclearising the Korean peninsula.

Almost three weeks since the agreed deadline for North Korea to shut down its Yongbyon nuclear reactor, Pyongyang is facing hurdles in obtaining the money from Macao's Banco Delta Asia, which North Korea insisted be released as part of the nuclear accord reached in February.