The head of the U.N. committee monitoring sanctions against North Korea on Wednesday proposed granting an exemption for a senior official from Pyongyang to attend the Winter Olympics in South Korea with his country’s high-level delegation though he is subject to a travel ban and asset freeze. Ambassador Karel Van Oosterom of the Netherlands, who chairs the Security Council committee, sent a proposed letter of approval to Security Council members with a deadline of 3 p.m. EST Thursday for objections. South Korean Charge d’affaires Ham Sang Wook asked the committee earlier Wednesday to grant a sanctions exemption to the 23-member high-level delegation from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea — the country’s official name — without naming Choe. He asked for a sanctions exemption for that period. Ham noted that the committee can grant exemptions from sanctions on a case-by-case basis for any reason consistent with the objectives of relevant Security Council resolutions.

Source: National Post February 08, 2018 01:04 UTC