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Report: U.N. committee exempts inter-Korea project from sanctions

By Elizabeth Shim
The mines in the Korean demilitarized zone are to be removed as part of an inter-Korea project. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI
The mines in the Korean demilitarized zone are to be removed as part of an inter-Korea project. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo

Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The United Nations Security Council has exempted joint inter-Korea projects in the demilitarized zone from international sanctions, according to a South Korean press report.

EDaily reported Monday the search for Korean War remains and mine removal inside the DMZ will not be found in violation of international law.

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The two Koreas agreed in September to search for war remains.

Cooperation with North Korea on the project, as well as the deployment of excavation equipment are to be allowed, according to the report.

"The consultation process with the U.N. North Korea sanctions committee, pursued in relation to the discovery of North and South Korean remains, has been completed," a South Korean diplomatic security official told EDaily, adding Seoul has been in close cooperation with the international community in order to not violate sanctions.

South Korea has also asked for permission to bring in mine-removal technology into the DMZ, after the North requested the South's support for mine removal.

Mines will be taken out starting in April. South Korea will purchase mine-removal equipment for its own purposes, but also on behalf of the North, according to EDaily.

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South Korean defense ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyun-soo said the government is looking to finalize an inter-Korea joint excavation team by the end of February. Digging will take place from April to October, Choi said.

The project is being pursued as North Korea continues to strengthen ties with China, its largest trading partner.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a friendship concert in Beijing, where North Korean singers paid tribute to 70 years of diplomatic relations, Yonhap reported Monday.

China's foreign ministry said the exchange of culture and art is an important component of bilateral relations.

In 2018, a Chinese ballet troupe performed in Pyongyang "The Red Detachment of Women," one of China's "eight model operas" that was staged during President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.

Kim Jong Un attended the 2018 concert.

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