Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office Horribly Blown Up in Less Than Two Years

4·27 Panmunjom Inter-Korean Summit Outcome Leads to Creation
Ministry of Unification Announces "North Korea to Blow Up Office Building at 2:50 PM"

The Kaesong Inter-Korean 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.

The Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, established as a result of the historic April 27 Panmunjom Inter-Korean Summit, disappeared into history after barely surpassing two years since its opening.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Unification announced, "North Korea blew up the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office building in Kaesong at 14:49."

Thus, the liaison office, which opened in Kaesong in September of that year according to the Panmunjom Declaration agreed upon by the South and North Korean leaders on April 27, 2018, ceased to exist just 19 months after its inauguration.

Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, had earlier declared in a statement on the 13th that she was handing over the authority for the "next hostile action" to the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and said, "Soon, you will witness the miserable sight of the useless North-South Joint Liaison Office collapsing without a trace."

President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un shaking hands across the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom on April 27, 2018.

According to military sources, loud explosions and smoke were observed around the Kaesong Industrial Complex area that afternoon.

On the same day, smoke and loud explosions were also witnessed on the South Korean side where the Kaesong Industrial Complex is located.

A resident of Daeseong-dong Village in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, said, "There was smoke as if a fire broke out along with the explosion."

Kim Yeon-chul, Minister of Unification, said on the 16th afternoon regarding the explosions and smoke observed in the Kaesong Industrial Complex area, "There was some prior notice," adding, "We need to confirm the situation more accurately."

Minister Kim appeared at the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee plenary session that day and responded to a question from Lee Jae-jung of the Democratic Party, who asked if the explosion sound was caused by the complete destruction of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office, by saying, "The explosion occurred at the location here."

When Democratic Party member Jeon Hae-cheol pointed out that Minister Kim might not be fully aware of the situation, he mentioned, "I have been receiving reports little by little."

After a brief Q&A with the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee members regarding the explosion at Kaesong Industrial Complex, Minister Kim left the session.

Meanwhile, the liaison office functioned as a communication channel available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The four-story building housed South Korean personnel on the second floor and North Korean personnel on the fourth floor.

Shortly after its opening, various inter-Korean talks and working-level meetings in fields such as forestry cooperation, sports, healthcare cooperation, and telecommunications were often held at the liaison office.

However, after the Hanoi North Korea-U.S. Summit ended in a "no deal" in February last year, the South-North chief-level meetings were suspended, resulting in dysfunctional operations.

With the added variable of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), South Korean personnel withdrew starting January 30 of this year, halting face-to-face consultations, which eventually led to the explosion.

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