Gov't Calls to "Resolve Through Dialogue" Following Court Ruling on North Korea's Demolition of Liaison Office

Regarding a court ruling ordering North Korea to pay damages to the South Korean government for blowing up the Inter-Korean Liaison Office six years ago, the government stated, "We hope inter-Korean dialogue will resume so that all inter-Korean issues can be resolved through dialogue and cooperation."

In a press release distributed today (September 16) immediately after winning the damages lawsuit over the demolition of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office (hereinafter liaison office), the Ministry of Unification said, "The government respects the court's judgment and will review necessary measures," expressing this stance.

Earlier in the day, the Civil Agreement Division 46 of the Seoul Central District Court ordered the defendant, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, to pay approximately 44.6 billion won in damages to the plaintiff, the Government of the Republic of Korea, fully upholding the South Korean government's claim (10.18 billion won for the liaison office and 34.45 billion won for the Kaesong Industrial Complex Comprehensive Support Center).

Just as North Korea did not respond to the lawsuit, it is not expected to file an appeal, making it likely that this first-instance ruling will be finalized as is.

North Korea is also expected to disregard the compensation ruling.

For the South Korean government to enforce compliance with the compensation order, it could attempt to seize North Korean assets abroad, but the chances of success are considered extremely slim.

Domestically, after South Korean prisoners of war and others won a final judgment in a lawsuit against North Korea, they attempted to collect by seizing North Korean copyright fees, but have not succeeded to date.

Above all, the government is reportedly not reviewing compulsory enforcement measures to collect the damages, and the Unification Ministry's stated position of seeking resolution "through dialogue and cooperation" is interpreted in this light.

An official from the Ministry of Unification said, "The main purpose of the government filing the lawsuit was to prevent the statute of limitations on the claim from expiring and to preserve state claims, and that purpose was achieved with the ruling in our favor," adding, "Under the Civil Act, the statute of limitations for claims regarding damages to the liaison office and other facilities is extended by 10 years."

Previously, when the government filed the lawsuit against North Korea in June 2023, it stated that it submitted the suit two days before the deadline because the right to claim compensation for damages expires three years after the date the damage occurred or became known.
 
(Photo: KCNA, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.