Government Reviews All Options to Hold North Korea Accountable for Office Explosion

"Efforts to Completely Block the Distribution of Anti-North Korea Leaflets"

On the morning of the 22nd, the gun ports at Gaemori Coast in North Korea, as seen from Daeyeonpyeongdo, Ongjin-gun, Incheon, were open.
A military official stated that there are cases where the gun ports are opened to remove moisture, or where guns are not positioned at the opened ports, and that they are closely monitoring the situation.

The Ministry of Unification, which stated it would hold North Korea appropriately accountable for the demolition of the Kaesong Inter-Korean Liaison Office, announced on the 22nd that it is reviewing all possible measures related to the incident. However, due to the unique nature of inter-Korean relations, it appears difficult to devise concrete plans.

At a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the same day, Unification Ministry spokesperson Yeo Sang-gi was asked about the government's stance on how it would hold North Korea "appropriately accountable" for blowing up the liaison office on the 16th. He replied, "The government is conducting a comprehensive review of all possible methods."

He refrained from mentioning specific methods or directions for response. He said, "If the relationship between the South and the North were a typical state-to-state relationship, it would have been easier, but the South and the North have a special relationship aimed at unification and are in a divided state."

He continued, "In fact, there are many different circumstances compared to other normal diplomatic relations when it comes to taking legal measures," and explained, "We are comprehensively reviewing these special circumstances and studying related cases to examine what possible methods exist."

Earlier, on the day North Korea blew up the liaison office building on the 16th, Seo Ho, Deputy Minister of Unification, stated in a press release, "The North must bear appropriate responsibility for this action."

Regarding North Korea’s recent preparation of 12 million leaflets and 3,000 balloons for distribution to the South, and its repeated warnings that it will soon release these leaflets, the Ministry of Unification said, "We are completely blocking the distribution of leaflets and materials to the North," and urged again, "North Korea must immediately halt its plan to distribute leaflets, which do not contribute in any way to the development of inter-Korean relations."

When asked about the expected method and timing of North Korea’s leaflet distribution, the spokesperson responded, "It seems difficult to specify the timing and method."

The Ministry of Unification also remained tight-lipped regarding the controversy over former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton’s memoir. Spokesperson Yeo said, "There is nothing particular to comment on regarding the claims made by the former U.S. official in his memoir."

In his memoir, "The Room Where It Happened," set to be published on the 23rd (local time), Bolton harshly criticized President Moon Jae-in’s denuclearization plan as a "schizophrenic idea," and consistently disparaged U.S. President Donald Trump, accusing him of being obsessed with taking photos, among other things.

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