Court Rules North Korea Must Pay South Korean Government Over 44.6 Billion Won for Blowing Up Joint Liaison Office

A South Korean court has ruled that North Korea must pay approximately 44.6 billion won in damages to the South Korean government for blowing up the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office.

This marks a victory in the first-ever lawsuit filed by the South Korean government against North Korea, concluding the case 3 years and 3 months after it was initiated by an entity other than a private individual.

On the 16th, the 46th Civil Settlement Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Hyung-chul) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in the damages lawsuit filed by the South Korean government against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The court practically accepted the plaintiff's claim of 44,626,410,722 won in full.

Specific reasons for the ruling were not explained.

The Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office opened in September 2018 in accordance with the Panmunjom Declaration agreed upon that April by former President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The building, completed in 2007, was previously used as an inter-Korean exchange and cooperation conference office and a venue for inter-Korean talks within the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

While it served as a hub for inter-Korean exchanges after its opening, inter-Korean liaison meetings were suspended following the breakdown of the Hanoi North Korea-U.S. summit in February 2019, and South Korean personnel withdrew in January of the following year due to COVID-19.

In June 2020, North Korea blew up the liaison office building, taking issue with anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns by some North Korean defector groups.

In June 2023, the Ministry of Unification filed a lawsuit against North Korea to suspend the statute of limitations for the right to claim damages for the destruction of the liaison office and to preserve national claims.

The Ministry of Unification calculated the state property damage at 44.7 billion won, consisting of 10.25 billion won for the liaison office building and 34.45 billion won for the adjacent general support center.

While there have been numerous lawsuits filed against North Korea by individuals such as North Korean defectors, this is the first time the South Korean government has been named as a plaintiff.

As there was no way to notify North Korea of the lawsuit, the court proceeded with the trial through service by public notice.

Service by public notice is a procedure where, when litigation documents cannot be delivered, the court posts the contents on a bulletin board or official gazette and deems the documents to have been delivered.

However, similar to previous civil lawsuits against North Korea, Pyongyang is expected to refuse payment, and there are currently no means to enforce the compensation.

Previously, the court postponed the sentencing date for this case once at the request of the Ministry of Unification.

At the time, it was reported that the Ministry of Unification requested the postponement to review measures to be taken following the verdict.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.