Democratic Party Holds Emergency Meeting Over Inter-Korean Liaison Office Explosion... Foreign Affairs Committee Adjourns Early

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader, are attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 15th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] On the 16th, after North Korea blew up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, the ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea, convened an emergency meeting to devise countermeasures.

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party, immediately after receiving news of the destruction of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, called key party officials including Kim Tae-nyeon, floor leader, Yoon Ho-jung, secretary-general, and Jin Sung-jun, chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee, for an emergency meeting. The meeting proceeded in private immediately after a preliminary briefing.

The Democratic Party also plans to convene an emergency meeting with members of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee.

Earlier, the full session of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee was adjourned immediately after the news of the explosion was delivered, following the dismissal of Kim Yeon-chul, Minister of Unification, who was present for a work report.

Minister Kim, during his response to current issues, said upon urgent media reports of the liaison office explosion, "(The explosion) was somewhat anticipated," adding, "We need to confirm the situation more precisely." He also said, "The explosion occurred while we were here," but could not provide detailed explanations.

Song Young-gil, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said, "Kim Yo-jong, first deputy director of the North Korean Workers' Party, had warned that the Inter-Korean Liaison Office would be pitifully blown up without a trace, and it seems that warning has been carried out," before hastily concluding the meeting.

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