Cheong Wa Dae hopes for N. Korea's response after UN decides to exempt sanctions on humanitarian aid
Cheong Wa Dae / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae said Saturday it hopes North Korea will respond after the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) decided to allow sanctions exemptions on humanitarian aid projects for Pyongyang.
The UNSC 1718 Committee on sanctions against North Korea reached the unanimous decision Thursday (local time) to exempt sanctions on 17 humanitarian projects for the North, according to sources in Seoul.
Sources say that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun asked for the Trump administration's support in providing the sanctions exemptions for the pending aid projects during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week.
The U.S. is one of the five permanent UNSC member states that hold veto power over binding U.N. decisions. The aid projects had reportedly been held up due to Washington's objections.
"Humanitarian assistance for North Korea should continue irrespective of political circumstances," a Cheong Wa Dae official said.
"The UNSC sanctions on North Korea clearly state that the sanctions measures are not intended at limiting those humanitarian aid activities," the official said.
He added that the government anticipates North Korea will "respond positively to the good-faith of the international community to help improve its humanitarian situations and to Seoul's efforts toward peaceful co-existence on the Korean Peninsula."