The United States says it will pay nearly 20 million dollars towards the disabling of North Korea’s main nuclear facilities.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Thursday that the North has completed nine of 12 steps necessary to disable the reactor at Yongbyon.

McCormack said the department had allotted 19-and-a-half million dollars to support the North’s nuclear dismantling. That’s out of a total of 20 million dollars in funds meant to address proliferation and disarmament efforts.

The spokesman said the disablement funds will include costs for the North’s recent destruction of a cooling tower in its main nuclear facility in Yongbyon.

He said the department will meet with Congress concerning the third phase of the North's dismantlement.

Asked about why the U.S. should financially support the North’s nuclear dismantling, McCormack said the investments made so far have proved to be effective.