Japanese Media: "North Korea's Liaison Office Explosion Intended to Pressure Moon Government and Shake Trump"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 17th, Japanese media analyzed that North Korea's demolition of the Kaesong inter-Korean joint liaison office appears to have the intention of pressuring the Moon Jae-in administration and shaking U.S. President Donald Trump. Although North Korea pointed to the leaflet drops as a reason at the time of the demolition announcement, it is interpreted as merely an excuse, with the real cause being accumulated distrust and dissatisfaction.

The Yomiuri Shimbun explained that the reason for North Korea's demolition of the liaison office was to pressure the Moon Jae-in administration to make concessions in economic cooperation and to shake President Trump, who was promoting the easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula as a diplomatic achievement. It stated that North Korea created a tense situation to open a breakthrough in sanctions against the North before the U.S. presidential election in November.

The Asahi Shimbun mentioned that leaflet drops by defector groups had occurred in the past as well, quoting a diplomatic official familiar with North Korean internal affairs who said, "This is merely a simple trigger." The background is North Korea's accumulated distrust and dissatisfaction with the Moon Jae-in administration since the breakdown of the North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February last year.

In particular, at the Hanoi summit, North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un proposed the complete dismantling of the Yongbyon nuclear facility to President Trump and demanded the lifting of economic sanctions in return, but was rejected. Regarding this, Asahi cited an anonymous diplomatic expert saying, "This proposal was made based on President Moon's advice, but it seems Chairman Kim's face was bruised," and reported that North Korea seems to have lost trust in the Moon Jae-in administration as a result.

Asahi also focused on North Korea's growing dissatisfaction with the South Korean government's response support to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In January, North Korea closed the North Korea-China border to prevent the spread of COVID-19, cutting off trade with China and causing economic difficulties. Based on a source familiar with North Korean internal affairs, Asahi reported, "North Korea believes that 'while we are suffering,' South Korea, mindful of the U.S., did not provide noticeable support in quarantine or medical fields," diagnosing that Chairman Kim became angry at South Korea's response.

Asahi evaluated that although the Moon Jae-in administration was praised for its COVID-19 response and won a landslide victory in the general election last April, recently, with the resurgence of cluster infections and lack of achievements in the economic sector, the only flagship policy that could gain public support was inter-Korean relations, which have now been lost due to North Korea's provocation.

The Mainichi Shimbun predicted that tensions between the two Koreas would escalate as the "symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation," established according to the Panmunjom Declaration at the inter-Korean summit in April 2018, was demolished. Mainichi reported that North Korea blatantly showed a confrontational stance by demolishing the inter-Korean joint liaison office on the 16th, when the commemorative atmosphere of the June 15 inter-Korean joint declaration of 2000 remained, and that this was a blow to the Moon Jae-in administration, which has pursued a policy of reconciliation with the North since its inauguration.

It also mentioned that under international sanctions and the border closure to prevent the inflow of COVID-19, North Korea's shortage of food and supplies has become more severe, and that fostering hostility toward South Korea to promote internal unity is also one of the reasons behind the demolition.

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