The Blue House expressed support for the Donald Trump administration’s decision to exempt humanitarian aid projects for North Korea from sanctions on February 7. Given North Korea’s rejection of all direct and indirect dialogue with the South Korean government, the administration plans to prioritize observing civilian exchanges for now.
The Trump administration has approved sanctions exemptions for 17 humanitarian aid projects targeting North Korea, which had been pending approval from the United Nations (UN) Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee (also known as the 1718 Committee).
A senior Blue House official told News1 in a phone interview that this was a positive development, stating that the approval of these sanctions exemptions is a good thing, and it hopes North Korea will respond favorably.
Regarding the possibility of the South Korean government initiating its own humanitarian aid efforts, the official cautiously remarked that it needs to see how things unfold. Now that conditions have improved for ongoing civilian initiatives, starting with those will be a good first step.
The official added that there are already applications from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), aren’t there? It should proceed with those initiatives.