UN allows North Korean under sanctions to travel to Olympics

Ambassador Karel Van Oosterom of the Netherlands, who chairs the Security Council committee,

By PTI

Updated: Thursday, February 8, 2018, 10:20 [IST]

United Nations, Feb 8: A senior official from Pyongyang, who is subject to a travel ban and asset freeze, has been granted an exemption by the UN committee monitoring too attend the Winter Olympics in South Korea with his country's high-level delegation.

: North Korean cheering squads arrive at the Korean-transit office near the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018. A North Korean delegation, including members of a state-trained cheering group, arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. AP/PTI Photo

Ambassador Karel Van Oosterom of the Netherlands, who chairs the Security Council committee, said today that members approved an exemption for Choe Hwi, who has been on the UN sanctions blacklist since June 2, 2017, to travel to the games in Pyeongchang.

South Korean Charge d'affaires Ham Sang Wook asked the committee today to grant a sanctions exemption to the 23- member delegation without naming Choe. He said its participation "will serve as a timely opportunity to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula and beyond."

PTI