Court orders North Korea to pay Seoul for blowing up office

A South Korean court has ordered North Korea to pay about $32.5 million in compensation to Seoul for the 2020 demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office building.

This is the first time the South Korean government has taken legal action against North Korea, but they have no means of forcing Pyongyang to make the payment.

The inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong was opened in 2018 to facilitate exchange and cooperation between the two countries, but was destroyed by North Korea in June 2020.

A South Korean court on Wednesday ruled North Korea must pay about 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) in compensation to Seoul for the 2020 demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office building.

South Korean news agency Yonhap reported it is the first time the South Korean government has taken legal action against the North. However, South Korea has no means of forcing Pyongyang to make the payment.

North Korea destroyed the liaison office on its territory in June 2020, following a propaganda airdrop campaign against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un carried out by activists in South Korea.

The office was opened in September 2018 to facilitate inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.

Formally, North and South Korea remain in a state of conflict, as the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 ended only with an armistice, without a peace treaty having ever been signed.

The Kaesong site was one of the few tangible steps taken by the two countries to strengthen ties. It was intended as a venue for discussing bilateral relations and - eventually, Seoul hoped - talks about ending Pyongyang's nuclear programme.