North Korea has confirmed that it is ready to begin implementing its part of a nuclear disarmament deal.

North Korea's first public response to talks in Pyongyang with United States nuclear envoy Christopher Hill bears out Mr Hill's account.

Unofficial statements said North Korea was ready to fulfil its promises as soon as it received funds frozen in a dispute over money laundering.

The funds dispute appears now to have been resolved, with Russian officials saying the money in question has arrived in a bank in the Russian city of Khabarovsk, where North Korea has an account.

As a first step, North Korea will have to agree with the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) how to go about shutting down its nuclear reactor at Yongbyong.

North Korea, which tested an atom bomb last year, agreed to a breakthrough six-nation deal in February to shut down its reactor in return for aid and diplomatic benefits.

But it had failed to comply due to the row over the cash, which was frozen two years ago in a Macau bank.

North Korea has hailed Mr Hill's visit as "productive" and the IAEA says it is set to go back to the country, more than four years after being kicked out.