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Seoul Court Rules North Korea Owes USD32.5M Over Liaison Office Blast
(MENAFN) A South Korean court on Wednesday ordered North Korea to pay 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) in damages for the 2020 demolition of the inter-Korean joint liaison office, a landmark ruling in Seoul's long-running effort to hold Pyongyang financially accountable.
North Korea blew up the office, located in the border town of Kaesong, on June 16, 2020.
The Seoul Central District Court granted the South Korean government's claim against the North Korean government in full, with interest to accrue until the debt is settled. According to media, the decision "marked the South Korean government's first victory in a damages suit filed directly against North Korea."
Collecting on the judgment, however, is another matter entirely. The newspaper noted that "how Seoul could enforce the judgment remains unclear, as there are currently no practical means of compelling Pyongyang to pay."
The liaison office had opened in September 2018, a product of the Panmunjom Declaration signed that April by then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But the goodwill behind that agreement has long since faded: relations soured further under former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Pyongyang has maintained its silence toward Seoul since President Lee Jae Myung took office last year.
North Korea blew up the office, located in the border town of Kaesong, on June 16, 2020.
The Seoul Central District Court granted the South Korean government's claim against the North Korean government in full, with interest to accrue until the debt is settled. According to media, the decision "marked the South Korean government's first victory in a damages suit filed directly against North Korea."
Collecting on the judgment, however, is another matter entirely. The newspaper noted that "how Seoul could enforce the judgment remains unclear, as there are currently no practical means of compelling Pyongyang to pay."
The liaison office had opened in September 2018, a product of the Panmunjom Declaration signed that April by then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. But the goodwill behind that agreement has long since faded: relations soured further under former President Yoon Suk Yeol, and Pyongyang has maintained its silence toward Seoul since President Lee Jae Myung took office last year.
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