Stricter US enforcement of sanctions strangles aid to North Korea
Seoul — Humanitarian aid for North Korea has nearly ground to a halt in 2018 as the US steps up the enforcement of sanctions, despite warnings of a potential food crisis and improving relations with Pyongyang, aid groups say. International sanctions imposed over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programmes technically do not cover humanitarian activities, and the UN recently adopted a US proposal designed to streamline approval for aid shipments. But strict interpretations of UN sanctions curtailing banking and shipping transactions with Pyongyang, as well as a travel ban for US citizens, have effectively shut down the North Korea operations of most relief groups, according to a dozen officials at UN agencies and civilian organisations. A ban on the shipment of any metal objects, from health diagnostic instruments to spoons to nail clippers, makes it nearly impossible to deliver even basic healthcare to North Korea, the officials say. Farm machines, greenhouses and ambulances, meanwhile...
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