Talks on disarming North Korea’s nuclear programme broke down in Beijing today with the country’s chief nuclear envoy leaving after a dispute over money frozen in a Macau bank.

A stalled round of talks on disarming North Korea’s nuclear programme will be extended even though a dispute over when around €19m of Pyongyang’s funds will be released from a Macau bank is not settled, a Japanese diplomat said today.

A fresh round of international nuclear talks opened today with negotiators inching closer toward setting a timetable for North Korea’s disarmament after the biggest obstacle hindering discussions was removed – £13m (€19m) in frozen North Korean funds.