"North Korea's Office Explosion 'Unlikely,' Tae Young-ho's Prediction Misses Again"

Tae Young-ho, member of the United Future Party. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Min Jun-young Intern Reporter] Amid reports that North Korea, which had continued its hardline provocations against South Korea, blew up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, the prediction by Tae Yong-ho, a member of the Future United Party and former North Korean ambassador to the UK, that North Korea would find it difficult to take such action, has once again proven wrong.

According to the Ministry of Unification and military authorities on the 16th, North Korea blew up the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office at around 2:49 p.m. that day.

Earlier, Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, had announced in a statement on the 13th that "soon, you will witness the miserable sight of the useless North-South Joint Liaison Office collapsing without a trace."

Regarding this, on the 15th, after a meeting of first-term Future United Party lawmakers at the National Assembly main building, Representative Tae met with reporters and commented on Kim Yo-jong’s remarks, saying, "I think it would be very difficult for North Korea to physically blow up the liaison office," and added, "The whole world is watching, so we should wait and see how the situation unfolds."

He further explained, "If North Korea not only breaks a simple agreement but also damages our nation's and people's property, and if the military reoccupies the military zone (Kaesong Industrial Complex) and overturns everything, we will have no choice but to take corresponding measures through international law."

However, contrary to Representative Tae’s expectations, North Korea actually blew up the liaison office.

Previously, when rumors about North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s health surfaced last month, Representative Tae had said, "One thing is clear: Kim Jong-un is in a state where he cannot stand or walk properly on his own."

But a few days later, when Kim Jong-un’s well-being was confirmed, he apologized, saying, "I think the disappointment was as great as the high expectations," and added, "I deeply feel a heavy sense of responsibility."

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