UN expert urges more aid for North Korea after typhoon

GENEVA – A U.N. expert is calling on the world community to do more to help North Korea cope with fallout from deadly Typhoon Lionrock and says officials in the reclusive country should allow access to those in need.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, pointed to U.N. estimates that more than 140,000 people require assistance after the typhoon that killed at least 138 people in the northeastern part of the country.

The U.N. human rights office said in a statement Wednesday that Ojea Quintana called on the international community to “increase support for on-going humanitarian efforts on the ground,” citing national reconstruction efforts underway.

He noted that sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council exclude humanitarian assistance, the statement said.