Inter-Korean Liaison Office bombing (Korean: ; lit. Inter-Korean Liaison Office Demolition Incident) refers to the bombing of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office located in Kaesong, Democratic People's Republic of Korea on June 16, 2020. The two Koreas decided to close the office on January 30 in response to the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the South Korean staff left on the same day. However, during the closure of the Joint Liaison Office, the North Koreans were dissatisfied with a group of defectors spreading leaflets along the demilitarized zone and sent the Korean People's Army to blow up the building on June 16, accusing South Korea's violation of the Panmunjom Declaration, a move that is said to have worsened North Korea–South Korea relations and strained the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
Background.
After the signing of the Panmunjom Declaration at the inter-Korean Summit in April 2018, the two sides agreed to establish a "permanent liaison office". However, due to the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea, the office initially scheduled to open in August 2018 was postponed to open on September 14 officially. Following the breakdown of the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit, the firm faced a long-term suspension, but this did not affect the twice-daily communication between the liaison officers of the two sides.
In 2020, South Korea and North Korea decided to close their offices on January 30 in response to the development of the COVID-19 pandemic, and South Korean staff left on the same day. During the closure of the office, the South Korean side still had twice daily conversations with the North Korean authorities. The South Korean Unification Ministry stated that the relevant personnel of the office was transferred to Seoul to continue operations after the closure.
North Korea's dissatisfaction with South Korea's actions.
On June 4, 2020, Kim Yo-jong, an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the First Vice Minister of the Organization and Guidance Department, said that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was dissatisfied with a group of defectors sending 500,000 leaflets, 50 manuals, 2,000 $1 bills, and 1,000 memory cards along the Korean Demilitarized Zone on May 31 toward the DPRK, and demanded to immediately improve the situation. Subsequently, a spokesman for the United Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea unilaterally announced the closure of the inter-Korean Liaison Office the following day. Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, pointed out at a central government meeting that the dissemination of the leaflets was a hostile act in violation of the inter-Korean peace agreement, and therefore cut off all communication channels with the Korean authorities on June 9.
On June 12, the Director General of the United States Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (North Korea), Kwon Jeong-geun, condemned the remarks made by the South Korean side regarding efforts for the DPRK US dialogue and denuclearization. The United Front Minister of the Korean Labor Party, Kim Young-chol, also issued a statement stating that he felt distrust of the inaction of the South Korean government. Subsequently, in a speech on June 13, Kim Yo-jong once again criticized South Korea for ignoring bilateral relations and conniving with defectors, saying that it was "the time to say goodbye" to the South Korean government, authorizing the Korean People's Army to decide on a continuation of the enemy's actions. Kim Yo-jong also pointed out in her speech on the same day that "in the near future, the useless joint liaison office between the North and the South will disappear".
South Korea's response.
After the South Korean government was informed of the North's dissatisfaction, the Ministry of Unification spokesman Roh Sang-ki said at a regular press conference on June 4 that the act of spreading anti-DPRK leaflets threatened the safety of people and property in the border area and that the government was studying an effective plan in this regard and called on people not to spread anti-DPRK leaflets at the border. On the same day, the Ministry of National Defense (South Korea) spokesman Choi Hyun-soo said at a regular press conference that the South Korean government has not changed its position on the implementation of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration, which was signed by the two Koreas on September 19, 2018, in response to the North's unilateral threat to dismantle the agreement.
At a regular press conference in the morning of June 8, the Korean Ministry of Unification said that according to the routine business arrangement of the inter-Korean Liaison Office, the two Koreas talk once a day in the morning and once in the afternoon, but in the morning of that day, the North did not answer the phone, which was the first time that the North did not answer the phone after the establishment of the office in 2018. On the following day, a regular press conference of the Ministry of Unification of Korea stated that the DPRK answered the phone on the afternoon of the 8th, but did not mention why they did not take the call in the morning and said that the two sides should maintain communication channels. The North Korean government subsequently cut all communication channels with the South Korean authorities on June 9, and the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a press conference that afternoon, saying that it would closely monitor changes in inter-Korean relations with the United States. In response to the unilateral cut-off, Blue House only said that the inter-Korean communication channels "should continue to be maintained and used according to a mutual agreement", prompting the opposition People Power Party to criticize the Moon Jae-in administration for adopting a low-profile toward North Korea and allowing North Korea to take advantage of it.
On June 10, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea reported two groups of defectors who had violated the regulations on the distribution of leaflets to the DPRK under the Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act and decided to cancel their registration licenses. On June 14, the Korean government expressed concern over Kim's remarks, and the Ministry of National Defense held an emergency meeting at the Blue House on the same morning to check the military's readiness and discuss how to deal with North Korea.
Events.
Yonhap News Agency quoted sources as saying that the South Korean government observed vehicles suspected of carrying explosives at the inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office after Kim and Jung spoke on June 13. The South Korean military observed flames on the first and second floors of the office the following day.
On the morning of June 16, the General Staff Headquarters of the Korean People's Army issued a communiqué stating that it is fully prepared for the ongoing deterioration of inter-Korean relations and that it has firmly guaranteed any external measures taken by the party and the government from a military perspective. In response, South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Choi Hyun-soo stressed at a regular press conference that the South Korean military is on alert to deal with any situation at any time, and said the South Korean side will work closely with the U.S. to keep a close watch and track the movement of the North Korean forces. The government then observed a loud noise and smoke coming from the Kaesong Industrial Park in the afternoon, and the military immediately checked whether it was related to the demolition of the inter-Korean Liaison Office, and said it was stepping up its surveillance and alert of the North Korean side, while asking the frontline commander to take up his position to command the border guard force. The Republic of Korea Army confirmed through visual observation that the inter-Korean Liaison Office building in the Kaesong industrial area had been blown up, and the North Korean authorities later confirmed that the General Headquarters of the Korean People's Army had given orders to the mission unit to blow up the inter-Korean Liaison Office at 2:49 p.m. Pyongyang time, saying through the official media, Korean Central Broadcasting Station, that this was in response to the public opinion of the North Korean people.
After the destruction of the office, the North Korean authorities said that they will redeploy military forces to the Kaesong industrial area and the Geumgang Mountain International Tourism Special Zone at the border, and reestablish posts and restart military drills. In response to the North Korean government's statement, the chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jeon Dong-jin, said that he will closely monitor the North Korean government's movement 24 hours a day and will respond strongly if provoked by military actions. The President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, convened a plenary session of the National Security Council after learning of the destruction of his office, the ninth time since he took power. After the meeting, Kim Yoo-geun, secretary general of the National Security Council of Korea, said that the DPRK's action completely failed to meet the expectations of everyone who is looking forward to the development of inter-Korean relations and permanent peace on the Korean peninsula, and made it clear that the DPRK should be held responsible for all consequences arising from it. In regards to the North's bombing of the office, Yoon Do-han, chief secretary for national communications at Blue House, said that the South Korean government has not received any plans or notifications.
The Korean diplomatic personnel dormitory adjacent to the office was also affected by the impact of the explosion, resulting in a collapse of the outer wall of the dormitory. According to the photos taken by the television station, Korean Broadcasting System, on June 17 at a height of about 2000 meters in the no-fly zone along the Military Demarcation Line, it was also found that the comprehensive support center for the Kaesong Industrial Area near the office was also affected and seriously damaged. On June 19, South Korean government sources told the "Korea JoongAng Daily" that after analyzing the images of the South Korean army and the North Korean official media, it was found that the TNT explosives set up by the North Korean explosion should amount to hundreds of kilograms.
Aftermath.
Inter-Korean relations.
On June 15, the President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, proposed to the DPRK to send the head of the Korean National Security Agency, Jung Eui-yong, and the head of the Korean National Intelligence Service, Suh Hoon, as special envoys to meet with the chairman of the Korean Labor Party, Kim Jong Un, but on June 17, the DPRK rejected the proposal. In response to North Korea's unilateral message that it wanted to send envoys, Moon said that although the act was a bit too much, he would continue to explore ways to break through the Korean impasse to keep persuading North Korea and the United States. Under the situation where relations between North and South Korea continue to deteriorate, South Korean Minister of Unification Kim Yeon Jik resigned on the 17th taking responsibility for the degradation of inter-Korean relations. The spokesman of the Blue House, Kang Min Seok, said in a press conference on the morning of 19th that Moon Jae-in agreed to his resignation and said that Moon Jae-in had dinner with Kim Yain Tie on the evening of 18th and listened to Kim Yain Tie's position.
After the North Korean government bombed the office, Kim Young-chul, the minister of the united front of the Korean Labor Party, said that there would be no more exchanges, cooperations or even talks between the two Koreas in the future, adding that "everything that has happened between the two sides should be treated as a dream", while the North Korean government continued to push forward military measures and said through the official media that it had prepared more than 3,000 balloons and 12 million leaflets for "retaliatory punishment". The leaflets were published with a picture of Moon drinking tea, a string of mocking words and a lot of smoked cigarette butts on the end. The South Korean military said it will pay close attention to how the North Koreans act and the way they take action, and then return with any possible military response. The South Korean military also found that the North Korean government has reinstalled loudspeakers for "Psychological warfare" in non-military areas, indicating that the two sides' previous efforts to improve relations have