Seoul will have to seek an exemption from international sanctions before allowing any North Korean firms to operate in South Korea, the country’s unification ministry told NK News on Monday.

The clarification follows accusation by local press that current plans by South Korea’s ruling party and the Ministry of Unification (MOU) for a revision of the 30-year-old inter-Korean exchange and cooperation law may violate UN sanctions.

But even if the country’s National Assembly approves those planned amendments, a ministry official told NK News, allowing North Korean firms to conduct profit-making activities in the South would require UN approval.

Local