A senior North Korean official attending the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea will be exempt from UN sanctions during his visit, senior United Nations diplomats said Thursday.

The move affects Choe Hwi, the chairman of North Korea's National Sports Guidance Committee, anonymous UN diplomats told multiple news agencies.

Choe has been subjected to a UN travel ban and asset freeze since June, when he was the vice director of the propaganda department in the ruling Workers' Party.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Coal and iron In August 2017, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution banning all coal, iron, iron ore and lead imports from North Korea. Pictured here is China's Liaoning Greenland Energy Coal Co. in Dandong, on the border with North Korea.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Currency North Korea is prohibited from opening banks abroad, and UN member states are prohibited from operating financial institutions on Pyongyang's behalf. Any dealings that might help North Korea skirt the sanctions are banned, and UN member states must expel and repatriate anyone working on the regime's financial behalf.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Shipping This North Korean cargo ship found itself boarded for inspection in the Philippines in March 2016 after the United Nations ordered member nations to de-register any vessel owned, operated or crewed on orders from Pyongyang. North Korean ships also cannot fly the flags of other nations to evade sanctions.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Air travel Air Koryo, North Korea's national carrier, remains exempt from aviation sanctions and still has scheduled flights to China and Russia, as well as several domestic routes. However, the airline cannot fly to the European Union, which has banned it on safety grounds, and the United States prevents citizens from legally conducting business with the carrier.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Fuel In December 2017, a new raft of UN sanctions targeted fuel imports in North Korea, meaning its residents could have difficulties driving the country in Pyeonghwa sedans (pictured above). The sale and transfer of diesel and kerosene are limited while the import of crude oil is capped at 4 million barrels a year.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Bank accounts, real estate UN sanctions limit North Korea's diplomats abroad — at the country's Berlin embassy, for example — to only one bank account each. North Korea is also not permitted to own real estate abroad for any purposes other than consular.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Military training It's a safe bet that North Korea's marching military did not learn its moves abroad: UN sanctions ban foreign security forces from training the country's army, police or paramilitary units. The United Nations does permit medical exchanges, but otherwise allow very little assistance of scientific or technical value.

Guns, gold and gas: What UN sanctions target North Korea? Statues Anyone wanting to own a larger-than-life Kim will have to await the end of North Korea's nuclear program. The UN sanctions currently ban the sale of statues by the nation.



No objections from council members

He is the only official in the North's 22-member delegation who was on the UN targeted sanctions blacklist. The delegation also includes Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who holds Choe's previous title, and Kim Yong Nam, the North's nominal head of state.

Thursday's exemption also applies to a country-wide UN ban on buying luxury goods.

The decision took effect after none of the 15 Security Council members raised objections to a proposal from the head of the committee that monitors sanctions against Pyongyang, Ambassador Karel Van Oosterom.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Snow in Pyeongchang, ice in Gangneung The Games in South Korea will require less travel than at Sochi four years ago. Any competitions on skis, plus the bob and luge, will take place in the Pyeongchang Mountain Cluster. The disciplines on ice be staged around 35 kilometers to the east in Gangneung Coastal Cluster. Pyeongchang is a small city of around 10,000, roughly 180 kilometers east of the capital Seoul.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Alpensia sport park Alepnsia is a winter sports resort built especially for the Gangwon province's 2010 bid for the Winter Olympics. It cost in the region of €1 billion ($1.25 billion). Alpensia is host to the sliding events (bobsled, luge and skeleton), biathlon, cross-country skiing and sk jumping centers. The resort was built on what used to arable land, primarily potato fields.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Alpensia Ski Jumping Center Might top German ski-jumper Richard Freitag leap to a medal off these ramps? If the spectator stands look a familiar shape to you, there's a reason for the that. The landing zone stands are more typically used for football games involving Gangwon FC. It's one of the signs that the organizers have spared a thought for the sustainability and future of the venues.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Alpensia Biathlon Center and Cross Country Skiing Center The courses for cross-country skiers, winter biathletes and Nodic combined competitors snake around the 7,500-seater ski jumping stadium, thorough the forested hills. Although the peaks and troughs are not that steep, the wind could prove a real issue for the athletes, especially when shooting. Close to the coast and 700 meters above sea level, heavy winds often blow in from the Sea of Japan.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Olympic Sliding Center The ice track for the bob and skeleton riders can accommodate 7,000 spectators. German luge coach Norbert Loch estimates that peak speeds of around 130 km/h (81 mph) will be possible. Three-time Olympic luge winner Felix Loch describes the course as follows: "An interesting track, which will definitely be good fun. The phase around turns 8 and 9 will be decisive."

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Pyeongchang Olympic Stadium The Olympic Stadium is also located in the Alpensia resort. It's a temporary stadium designed for the opening and closing ceremonies. It can accommodate 35,000. At a cost of over €100 million, it's a costly temporary fixture. It's slated for deconstruction after the Games, as no subsequent use for it could be found.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Jeongseon and Yongpyong Alpine Centers Alpine skiing events will take place at two venues: speed events (downhill and Super-G) at the Jeongseon Alpine Center and technical disciplines (slalom, grand slalom and team events) at the Yongpyong Alpine Center, roughly half an hour's drive away. Snowboarders and freestyle skiers will compete at the Phoenix Snow Park in Yongpyong.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Gangneung Ice Arena For the host nation, it's the ice events more than the skiing that offer real medal hopes. South Korea is especially favored to fare well in the figure skating and short track speed skating. Both those events will take place in the all-new Gangneung Ice Arena. It offers space for 12,000 spectators and, according to the organizer, boasts an environmentally-friendly cooling system.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Gangneung Oval Expect a strong contingent of fans from the Netherlands, speed skating's dominant power, in the Gangneung Oval seats. The arena has a 400-meter track and space for 8,000 people. It was opened in February 2017 for the World Single Distance Championships. Dutch skaters won all five of the men's titles in that event, and one of the five for women.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Gangneung Hockey Center This is the principle of the two ice hockey venues for the 2018 Games. All the men's games and all the medal games will be played here. The women will play their earlier matches at the Kwandong Hockey Center. This four-floor stadium is estimated to have cost around €100 million. Whether it will remain in use afterwards is not clear. While South Koreans do play ice hockey, it's a big house to fill.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Gangneung Curling Center The logo, like the name, gives the game away. This is where the curling stones will glide and the brushes will furiously sweep a path for them. But you won't see German athletes in here, unless they've come as spectators. For the first time since its Olympic adoption in 1998, no German curling team has qualified for the Games.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Olympic Village A few more high-rises than you'd see in the average village. As with many previous Games, accommodation for the athletes was built from scratch. There's one Olympic Village in Pyeongchang (pictured here) and another in Gangneung. As well as the bedrooms, the athletes and coaches have shared kitchens, canteens, living rooms and conference rooms and more besides.

Where the Games will be played — Pyeongchang's Olympic venues Olympic Village rooms The bedrooms have a bit of a youth hostel feel to them. They're sparsely furnished and at such a size, getting the right roommate (with the right amount of equipment and luggage) could be crucial. Nevertheless, the bedding is obviously supposed to remind the athletes why they've come. Author: Sarah Wiertz



South Korean request

South Korea had requested the move in a letter to the committee on Wednesday. It said the North Korean delegation's three-day visit starting Friday "will serve as a timely opportunity to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula and beyond by promoting an environment conducive to a peaceful, diplomatic, and political solution concerning the situation on the peninsula."

The North said in January it would send a delegation to the Winter Olympics after months of tensions sparked by its latest nuclear weapons and missile tests.

The Security Council has gradually increased sanctions on North Korea since 2006 to cut off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

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