Avoiding UN santions

By Sua Kim

The South Korean government used two ROK Air Force transport planes to carry its basket ball team members to Pyongyang on July 4, 2018 3, 2018 to avoid United Nations sanctions against North Korea. This was reported by Korean-language daily newspaper, Chosun Ilbo, this morning (July 4).

This photo taken on July 3, 2018, shows South Korean basketball players entering a hotel in Pyongyang, welcomed by hotel staff members.

The ‘United Korea Basket Ball Game’ was made possible thanks to the personal intention and interest on the part of Chairman Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is known to be an ‘inveterate’ fan of basketball games. And Dennis Rodman of the US NBA is Kim’s ‘idol’ according to South Korean basketball lovers.
Chairman Kim invited Roman to Pyongyang five times and met with him in person, and Kim even personally played a game with Rodman during the latter’s visit to Pyongyang in March 2013.

North Korea's Vice Sports Minister Won Kil-u (R) shakes hands with South Korea's Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon, who arrived in Pyongyang on July 3, 2018, leading a basketball delegation. The North's Korean Central Agency, which released this photo, sent out a brief report, saying the delegation will take part in the inter-Korean basketball games for reunification. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

The Seoul team is led by Minister of National Unification Cho Myung-kyun who landed in Pyongyang aboard South Korean Air Force transport plane, C-130H, which carried a total of 101 members of the Seoul team.
The South Korean government had planned to use a civilian airplane but decided against it due to a number of negative reasons, including international sanctions against North Korea, which are still on-going.
The US government has been banning the entry of planes and ships entering the US if they have entered North Korean against the provisions of the US-initiated sanctions against North Korea.

저작권자 © The Korea Post 무단전재 및 재배포 금지