But American diplomats agreed to the protection scheme by which the DPRK would promise not to use the money to build nuclear weapons. Where's that picture of Halfbright toasting her work with Kim Jong Il?
As I recall, North Korea wasn't going to get cash, they were getting nuclear power plants that didn't produce the materials necessary for bomb making and heating oil to see them through the transition period (time between shutting down the old plants and bring the new on line).
It is true that the agreement did include using a percentage of local labor, but I doubt their pay was enough to fund a nuclear weapons program.