South Korea is reviewing unilateral sanctions that have halted cross-border trade with North Korea since 2010, Seoul’s unification minister told lawmakers on Monday, voicing support for the U.N.’s recent decision to grant sanctions exemptions for humanitarian aid to Pyongyang.

At a parliamentary hearing, Chung Dong-young said lifting the May 24 Measures would carry “significant symbolic meaning,” despite the fact that the previous Moon administration already declared that they had “effectively lost their validity” in 2020.

The Lee Myung-bak administration initially imposed the measures following the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan warship in March 2010.

The sanctions halted inter-Korean trade,