Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Korean article.
The U.N. Security Council committee overseeing sanctions on North Korea has approved an exemption allowing U.S. nonprofit organization IGNIS Community to bring medical and rehabilitation equipment into the country, according to a letter recently made public by the committee.
The letter, dated September 18, says the approval covers 125 items worth about $106,751 for a rehabilitation center at Rason Medical School Hospital in northeastern North Korea. The equipment is intended to support treatment and rehabilitation for children with developmental disabilities.
The approved items include physical therapy equipment, sensory therapy tools, walking aids and standardized tests used to assess child development. The equipment is listed as originating in China.
The exemption allows the items to be brought into North Korea within nine months of the approval. It does not confirm that the equipment has been shipped or delivered.
The committee has granted humanitarian exemptions on a case-by-case basis under U.N. sanctions procedures. IGNIS Community has previously received approval to send medical and rehabilitation equipment to North Korea.
The approval comes as North Korea has criticized a separate South Korean plan to provide medical equipment to a hospital near Pyongyang.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, condemned South Korea’s medical aid plan in a statement carried by state media on Thursday, calling it an insult to North Korea and saying Seoul had insulted the country and its people with a “list of dirty things.”
Kim did not comment on the separate exemption granted to IGNIS Community.