Cheong "Jeong Eui-yong Presides Over NSC Standing Committee Meeting"... Discussion on Inter-Korean Liaison Office Explosion (Update)

On the afternoon of the 16th at 2:49 PM, North Korea reportedly blew up the Kaesong Joint Liaison Office building, and the Kaesong Industrial Complex area viewed from the border area in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, is engulfed in smoke. 2020.6.16 [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] The Blue House announced on the 16th at 5:05 PM that it held a Standing Committee meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong.

Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok conveyed this via text message in the afternoon. It appears the meeting was urgently convened following North Korea's demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office building in the Kaesong Industrial Complex at 2:50 PM.

However, the meeting was not a full session presided over directly by President Moon Jae-in, but a Standing Committee meeting chaired by Director Chung. Standing members include Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha, Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo, National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon, Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, First Deputy Director of the National Security Office Kim Yu-geun (Secretary-General), and Second Deputy Director Kim Hyun-jong.

At 4:50 PM, North Korea officially confirmed through a broadcast by Korean Central Broadcasting Station that "at 14:50, with a loud explosion, the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office was miserably destroyed."

Attendees of the NSC Standing Committee meeting are expected to share information on the demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office by North Korea and discuss future countermeasures. With North Korea destroying the liaison office as it had warned, there are concerns about further military provocations.

Earlier, on the 13th, Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the Workers' Party of Korea, warned in a statement, "Soon, you will witness the miserable sight of the useless Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office collapsing without a trace," and added, "Regarding our next plan, I will hint at this opportunity that the authority for the next hostile action will be handed over to our military’s General Staff."

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