The UN lowered the threshold for humanitarian aid to North Korea … Additional exemption from sanctions against North Korea ‘0’

The Labor Newspaper, an agency of the North Korean Labor Party, illuminated the Chollima District Party Committee, which entered the largest emergency system for a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) on August 3. [노동신문=뉴스1]

The United Nations simplified the procedure to exempt North Korea from humanitarian aid sanctions last month, but it has been confirmed that no other organization has requested additional waivers and has since been approved. This is the effect that North Korea has also locked into humanitarian aid for fear of spreading the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19).

According to the annual approval data for sanctions exemptions published by the Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council on the 24th (local time), the number of humanitarian aid projects that were exempted from sanctions this year was a total of 25, reported the Voice of the United States (VOA). did.

In 25 cases per period, 17 cases were in the first half, but 8 cases in the second half were reduced to almost half. In particular, the VOA said there was no organization requesting sanctions exemption from the sanctions committee after the UN sanctions committee simplified the procedure for waiving sanctions against North Korea on 30 last month.

It is analyzed that this is because the support groups did not request the North Korean border blockade either.

Among the projects that were exempted from sanctions, a total of 7 cases were supported to respond to Corona 19. In the first half of the year, there were four sanction waiver approvals, starting with MSF in February, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and Switzerland. The remaining three were approved by the Korea Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Research Institute, UNICEF and MSF in the second half of the year.

Meeting of the United Nations Security Council. [연합뉴스]

In addition to the Corona 19 response support project, most of the remaining 18 cases were related to the provision of clean water, food support to alleviate malnutrition, and emergency medical support.

Previously, the UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea partially relaxed the exemption criteria, extending the exemption period from six months to nine months. In the past, only UN agencies, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) could directly apply for the exemption. but other organizations also contact the Secretariat for urgent humanitarian assistance. The process has been simplified, like the direct application.

This amendment was at the request of the United States. At the time, aid organizations were expected to more actively support North Korea, but they performed poorly due to the variable called the Corona 19 pandemic.

Reporter Dayoung Kim [email protected]