A South Korean court has directed North Korea to pay $32.5 million in damages for blowing up the Kaesong inter‑Korean liaison office in 2020 — the first time Seoul has sued Pyongyang directly.
The Seoul Central District Court found the demolition to be an unlawful act that violated bilateral agreements and eroded mutual trust. South Korea filed the suit in 2023, describing the explosion as a deliberate breach of peace efforts following the collapse of nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington.
While the verdict is largely symbolic, enforcement remains impossible amid frozen diplomatic ties. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has suspended all meaningful dialogue with Seoul, labelling the South a “hostile enemy” while strengthening ties with Moscow and Beijing.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry welcomed the ruling and urged renewed diplomacy, saying all disputes should be resolved through dialogue and cooperation. North Korean state media has yet to comment.
The Kaesong office, built by South Korea to facilitate communication, was destroyed with explosives after Pyongyang accused Seoul of failing to stop defectors from sending anti‑North leaflets across the border.
