North Korea talks are at a standstill

International talks seeking to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons are deadlocked, Japan’s envoy said in Beijing.

After four days of six-nation negotiations, the first since North Korea’s Oct. 9 nuclear test, Pyongyang has refused substantive discussions on its atomic weapons, envoys said.

Instead, North Korea has complained about the U.S. blacklisting a Macao bank where the regime had accounts. Washington alleges the bank was tied to North Korean counterfeiting and money laundering.