South Korea Court Orders North Korea To Pay $32.5 Million For Blowing Up Liaison Office

A South Korean court has ordered North Korea to pay 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) for destroying an inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong in 2020, in the first lawsuit filed by the South Korean government against Pyongyang.

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday ordered North Korea to pay the full amount sought by Seoul, along with litigation costs. The ruling is largely symbolic because South Korea currently has no clear way to force Pyongyang to comply with the judgment.

Seoul had calculated the damages at about 44.7 billion won, including 10.25 billion won for the liaison office and 34.45 billion won linked to a nearby inter Korean economic cooperation support centre that was damaged and rendered unusable by the blast.

South Korea filed the lawsuit in June 2023, shortly before the three year statute of limitations for its damages claim was due to expire. The case faced procedural delays because serving legal documents in North Korea was difficult. Proceedings eventually moved ahead after the court allowed service by public notice.

The liaison office was established in 2018 under the Panmunjom Declaration to provide a regular communication channel between the two Koreas. But relations deteriorated after nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States stalled.

On June 16, 2020, North Korea used explosives to destroy the building in the border city of Kaesong. The office had already been closed and was empty after South Korea withdrew its personnel amid the COVID 19 pandemic. Pyongyang had accused Seoul of failing to stop North Korean defectors from sending anti North Korean propaganda leaflets across the border.

South Korea's Unification Ministry said it respected the ruling and called for the resumption of inter Korean dialogue and cooperation. North Korean state media had not immediately commented.

The judgment comes as relations remain strained. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has described South Korea as his country's most hostile enemy while expanding its nuclear and missile capabilities and strengthening ties with Russia and China.

President Lee Jae Myung has sought renewed engagement with Pyongyang, but North Korea has so far rejected Seoul's overtures. US President Donald Trump has also expressed interest in restarting dialogue with Kim, although Pyongyang continues to reject denuclearisation demands as a condition for talks.