SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says the United Nations Security Council has granted sanctions exemption for surveys on North Korean railroad sections the Koreas want to connect with the South.
Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Saturday negotiations with the council's North Korea Sanctions Committee are now finalized.
The surveys would require the South to bring to the North fuel and a variety of goods, including possibly cars to test on northern tracks.
The Koreas plan to hold a groundbreaking ceremony by the end of the year on an ambitious project to connect their railways and roads as agreed by their leaders.
But they cannot move much further along without the lifting of U.S.-led sanctions against North Korea, which isn't likely before Pyongyang takes firmer steps toward relinquishing its nuclear weapons and missiles.
