U.N. North Korea committee OKs goat-breeding projects

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A United Nations committee is separating the sheep from the goats with new exemptions for organizations that work to provide aid in North Korea.

Première Urgence Internationale, a French aid group that has assisted North Korea in the area of farming, has been allowed to send the necessary materials and equipment to the relatively isolated country by the U.N.'s North Korea sanctions committee, Yonhap reported Monday.

The equipment that was once banned would be used to support North Korea goat-breeding projects in South Hwanghae Province, a major agricultural region in the country.

A total of 63 items, including, carts, rakes, LED lights and solar panels can be delivered to North Korea, in addition to dairy containers, buckets and equipment for making "tofu," according to Yonhap.

The exemption is temporary and expires Feb. 9.

PUI previously received exemptions for humanitarian assistance to North Korea, for food aid projects from January to March, also in South Hwanghae Province.

The U.N. committee has in the past granted exemptions to other international organizations, including the U.S.-based Eugene Bell Foundation, the U.S.-based Christian Friends of Korea, and a German organization, World Hunger Aid.

North Korea is under heavy sanctions due to its pursuit of a weapons program that includes nuclear development.

The weapons and Kim Jong Un's guidance of the latest missile tests are the highlight of the regime's news and propaganda.

South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun reported Monday the test of weapons on Friday has dominated state media coverage, including KCTV, Rodong Sinmun and KCNA, North Korea's state-controlled news agency.

Due to a lack of video footage, North Korean state television has been displaying photographs of Kim's participation in the tests, airing a slideshow that spends 10 seconds per image, according to the Kyunghyang.

North Korean news presenters also read directly from the Rodong, rather than from scripts adapted for television, the South Korean newspaper said.