As President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol’s transition committee sets about to discuss the new government’s policy projects, a state institute is drawing attention by presenting the provision of humanitarian health aid to North Korea,
Despite the U.N. Security Council (UNSC)’s resolution on North Korea, South Korea can provide various goods to the North through the approval of the UNSC Sanctions Committee on North Korea in the case of projects for humanitarian purposes, the institute said, adding that Seoul needs to send health aid to Pyongyang using the channel.
Cho Sung-eun, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs (KIHASA), made the proposal in his article, “Methods to use humanitarian exception in sanctions on North Korea,” published in the latest issue of the institute’s journal, Issue and Focus.
According to the article, North Korea has aggravated the shortage of commodities by opting for self-isolation after the outbreak of Covid-19 by closing borders and sending back workers from international organizations stationed in Pyongyang.
“Such a situation has significantly affected North Korean people’s right to health,” Cho said. “The difficulty obtaining important medical goods and devices and restraint on the imports of drugs and vaccines can threaten the public’s right to live if infectious diseases proliferate.”
Cho noted that the U.N. has introduced and operated humanitarian exception in sanctions and increasingly applied the system to North Korea. The South Korean government needs to make the most of the system as a “strategic tool.”
According to Cho, 76 humanitarian projects had been exempted from winning approval as of June 2021. Out of the 66 projects made public, five projects involving four organizations have won approval through the channel of the South Korean government.
“Despite strict U.N. sanctions on North Korea, South Korea can provide material support essential for the North Korean people’s livelihood by making the most of humanitarian exemption,” Cho said. “Equipment and materials related to health and welfare areas are highly likely to win such exemption. Seoul needs to push for such exchanges.”
He went on to say, “North Korea also has a high demand for Covid-19 vaccine, emergency medical goods, and diagnostic devices. Therefore, it is urgent to persuade the North to accept these aids through various channels, such as the government, international organizations, and private groups.”
added that Seoul also could use such exchanges as a turning point in the conflicting phase between Koreas.