The Bush administration says it has $20 million available to pay for disabling North Korea's main nuclear facility, ap reported.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Thursday that Korea has completed nine of 12 steps meant to disable the reactor at Yongbyon.
North Korea blew up the reactor's cooling tower last week after the United States said it would remove Pyongyang from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. The U.S. concession followed the North's handing over a long-awaited nuclear declaration.