UN Security Council approves DPRK travel to Singapore -diplomats

UNITED NATIONS- A United Nations Security Council committee on Wednesday approved the travel of Democratic People's Republic of Korea officials to Singapore for a June 12 summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK's leader Kim Jong-un and planning meetings, diplomats said.

In a May 16 letter to the Security Council DPRK sanctions committee, seen by Reuters, Singapore asked for a blanket waiver for the participation of DPRK's delegations. The 15-member committee operates by consensus.

The letter did not list which officials were expected to visit Singapore. The Security Council has imposed a global asset freeze and travel ban on 80 individuals under a sanctions regime it has unanimously strengthened several times since 2006 in a bid to choke funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Singapore described the summit as "an opportunity to advance the objective of a peaceful resolution of the DPRK nuclear issue and the establishment of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region."

In February the Security Council sanctions committee granted approval for a DPRK's delegation, specifically UN-sanctioned senior official Choe Hwi, to travel to theRepublic of Korea for the opening of the Winter Olympics. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols Editing by James Dalgleish)