3 Years After Joint Liaison Office Explosion... Government Files Compensation Lawsuit Against North Korea

North Korea Blasted Office 3 Years Ago in Response to Anti-North Leaflets
Statute of Limitations Expires on the 16th of This Month... "Preserving National Claims"
Ministry of Unification: "North Korea's Violent Actions Are Clear Illegal Acts"

The government has filed a lawsuit seeking damages for North Korea's illegal demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office.

The Ministry of Unification announced that it submitted a complaint to the Seoul Central District Court around 2 p.m. on the 14th, claiming damages against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) for the total loss of 44.7 billion KRW in state-owned property caused by North Korea's illegal demolition of the South Korean side of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office building and the adjacent Comprehensive Support Center building. The detailed damage amounts are 10.25 billion KRW for the Liaison Office and 34.45 billion KRW for the Comprehensive Support Center.

North Korea blew up the Inter-Korean Liaison Office on June 16, 2020.

North Korea, led by Kim Yo-jong, Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, reacted against the distribution of leaflets to the North in the spring of 2020, and unilaterally blew up the Liaison Office in the Kaesong Industrial Complex on June 16 of that year. Under civil law, the right to claim damages expires three years after the damage occurs or the fact is recognized. Accordingly, the government took legal action before the 16th to prevent the expiration of the statute of limitations and to preserve national claims.

However, it is uncertain whether such measures will be effective. Even if the court issues a compensation ruling, it is impossible to enforce it forcibly against North Korea. There is also an option to refer the North Korean authorities to the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), but this also requires "mutual consent," so even if the South files a case, if the North does not respond, the referral itself cannot be established.

A government official explained, "The main purpose is not compensation for damages, but to demonstrate the principle and will to respond firmly without passively overlooking North Korea's arrogant attitude and illegal acts."

The Ministry of Unification criticized, "North Korea's violent demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office is clearly an illegal act under the law," and added, "It also violates inter-Korean agreements such as the 'Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity, and Unification of the Korean Peninsula,' fundamentally undermining the foundation of mutual respect and trust between the two Koreas." They further stated, "The government will proceed with the lawsuit in cooperation with related ministries going forward."

Meanwhile, the government is also considering measures to hold North Korea accountable for the unauthorized operation of South Korean facilities in the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the unauthorized removal of South Korean facilities in the Mount Kumgang tourism zone.

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