The U.N. Development Program (UNDP) says that it will stop paying cash for its operations in North Korea. It also says that it will start an independent audit as suspicions are arising that its past work resulted in the funneling of a large sum of money into a regime bent on developing nuclear weapons.

The announcement came after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he will ask for an urgent investigation into all global activities by U.N. agencies.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Washington believes the UNDP's program in Pyongyang operated in blatant violation of U.N. rules and ended up giving the North a large, steady source of hard currency.

The US daily said that a Jan. 16 letter to the UNDP by U.S. Ambassador Mark Wallace claimed that the cash and resources were given without an assurance that they would go toward legitimate development activities.

The paper said that the precise amount of money supplied is not known, but quoted one source as saying it could be as much as 100 million dollars. UNDP operations in North Korea cover humanitarian assistance, public health, the environment, agriculture and the economy.