[Photo] UN grants sanctions exemptions for tree nursery project in N. Korea

The UN has granted exemptions from sanctions on North Korea for 152 items involved in the Kaepung Tree Nursery project in Gyeonggi Province. The province launched the project to build a tree nursery in the North Korean city of Kaesong in 2007, with construction being completed in 2008, but the project was halted in 2010 when inter-Korean tensions escalated. Although the UN has approved various projects conducted by humanitarian organizations such as UNICEF, this is the first instance of sanctions relief provided for a project organized by a local South Korean government.