Inter-Korean Liaison Office 'Closure' Averted... Ministry of Unification: "Contact with North Korea Established in the Afternoon"

"Afternoon Inter-Korean Contact Talks Proceed Normally"
Worst-Case Scenario Like North's Unilateral Closure Seems Avoided

The Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office was established as a result of an agreement between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un to set it up through the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration. President Moon and Chairman Kim shaking hands across the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom on April 27.

As inter-Korean contact consultations at the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office proceeded normally on the afternoon of the 8th, the worst-case scenario of the office's closure was averted.

The Ministry of Unification stated, "The inter-Korean contact consultation at the Joint Liaison Office on the afternoon of the 8th proceeded as usual."

Since the establishment of the liaison office in accordance with the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, the two Koreas have conducted opening and closing calls twice daily on weekdays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., even when there were no special issues.

However, on the morning of that day, the North did not answer the opening call for liaison work. This was the first time since the liaison office opened in September 2018 that the North did not answer the phone.

This raised concerns that, as the North had warned, the liaison office might be entering the process of closure.

Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, harshly criticized the South Korean government's response to the distribution of leaflets to the North in a statement on the 4th, warning of the suspension of tours to Mount Kumgang, complete dismantlement of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, nullification of the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement, and closure of the liaison office.

The spokesperson for the Workers' Party United Front Department also stated in a statement on the 5th, "We will resolutely abolish the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, which is idly sitting in the Kaesong Industrial Zone without any purpose."

The liaison office was a fruit of the April 27, 2018 inter-Korean summit at Panmunjom between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. It functioned as a 24/7, 365-day communication channel between the two Koreas. The Moon Jae-in administration had praised the establishment of the liaison office as a representative achievement of its North Korea policy.

Although there were concerns that the closure would become a reality as the North mentioned the closure of the liaison office and even did not respond to the morning contact on the 8th, the contact consultation in the afternoon suggests that it will not lead to extreme measures such as closure.

However, the North reportedly did not provide any particular explanation for not answering the morning contact.

The Ministry of Unification said, "There was no special mention from the North regarding the failure of the morning contact consultation."

Opening ceremony of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office held at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in September 2018

Meanwhile, separate from the liaison office line, the inter-Korean military communication lines in the East and West Sea areas and the international common maritime communication network (hotline) between the two sides' vessels operated normally.

The two Koreas conduct inspection calls twice daily on the military communication lines and vessel hotlines. The inter-Korean military authorities use the East and West Sea military communication lines to conduct regular calls twice daily at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.