Inter-Korean Liaison Office

The Inter-Korean Liaison Office (Korean: 남북공동연락사무소; Hanja: 南北共同連絡事務所; RR: Nambuk gongdong yeollak samuso) was a joint liaison office of North Korea and South Korea located in North Korea's Kaesong Industrial Region.

Inter-Korean Liaison Office
남북공동연락사무소
Agency overview
Formed14 September 2018
Dissolved16 June 2020
Jurisdiction Korea
HeadquartersKaesong Industrial Region, North Korea
37°55′58.7″N 126°37′18.7″E
Agency executives
  • Jon Jong-su, North Korea Representative
  • Chun Hae-sung, South Korea Representative
Inter-Korean Liaison Office
North Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl
북남공동련락사무소
Hancha
北南共同連絡事務所
South Korean name
Hangul
남북공동연락사무소
Hanja
南北共同連絡事務所

In the absence of formal diplomatic relations, the building functioned as a de facto embassy and provided a direct communication channel for the two nations.[1] It was headed by North Korean Representative Jon Jong-su, vice chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and South Korean Representative Chun Hae-sung, vice minister of the Ministry of Unification.

The four-story office building was demolished by North Korea on 16 June 2020. It had been vacant since January due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

History

The joint liaison office was established as part of Panmunjom Declaration signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on 27 April 2018, during the 2018 inter-Korean Summit in Panmunjom. The office was located in a four-story and a basement building with an area of 4498.57m2 constructed in 2005 for the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Consultation Office. The construction cost at the time was 8.0 billion KRW ($7.1 million) paid by the South Korean government.[2] On 11 October 2018, it was reported that a water treatment plant which will be used by the Inter-Korean Liaison Office had been restored.[3] By 25 October 2018, renovation and repairs to the building which houses the Inter-Korean Liaison Office were complete.[4] The South Korean government spent 9.7 billion KRW ($8.6 million) on these renovations.[5]

The first meeting at the Liaison Office occurred between delegates from both Koreas on 22 October 2018 and concerned, among other things, forestry cooperation between both Koreas.[6] A meeting took place at the office between South Korean Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Roh Tae-kang and North Korean Vice-Minister of Physical Culture and Sports Won Kil U on 2 November 2018, talks at the office resulted in bids for a unified Korean team at the 2020 Olympics and to hold the 2032 Summer Olympics in both Koreas.[7][8] Another meeting was held on 2 November 2018 between South Korean Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung and his North Korean counterpart, Jon Jong-su.[9][10] Both men were co-heads of the office and each serve as liaison chief for their perspective country.[9][10] Both Chun and Jon discussed cooperation in various joint-Korean projects.[9][10]

Due to measures taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the office was closed on 30 January 2020.[11]

Destruction of building

On 16 June 2020 at 2:50 pm, the four-story building was demolished by North Korea.[12] North Korea's news agency, the Korean Central News Agency released a statement saying that "the liaison office was tragically ruined with a terrific explosion" and that it reflected "the mind-set of the enraged people" of their country.[13] On 13 June, three days before the building was destroyed, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, had predicted the collapse of the building as a retaliation for a failure by South Korea to crack down on North Korean defectors living in South Korea who used balloons to send anti-North Korean regime leaflets across the border.[14][15]

The destruction coincided with the 20th anniversary of the first inter-Korean summit between Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il.[16] Surveillance cameras in South Korea showed that when the building was destroyed, a neighboring high-rise building that previously housed South Korean officials partially collapsed due to the strength of the blast.[17]

South Korean president Moon Jae-in responded by heightening the South Korean military's alert level and saying there would be a stern response if North Korea continued to raise tensions.[18] A statement released by the Blue House, South Korea's executive office, said that the building's destruction "is an act that goes against the expectations of those who wish for the development of South-North relations and the settlement of peace on the Korean Peninsula," and that "the government makes it clear that the responsibility for everything that follows this is entirely on the North's side."[5]

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See also

References
  1. Choe Sang-Hun (14 September 2018). "North and South Korea Open Full-Time Liaison Office at Border". The New York Times.
  2. "남북 '상설 대화창구' 21개월 만에 콘크리트 잔해만 남아" [Inter-Korean “permanent dialogue” only the debris of concrete remains after the 21st months]. The Hankyoreh. 16 June 2020.
  3. Lee Je-hun (11 October 2018). "Water treatment plants in Kaesong Industrial Complex reopened along with joint liaison office". The Hankyoreh.
  4. Dagyum Ji (24 October 2018). "Seoul spent USD$8.6 million on inter-Korean liaison office renovation: MOU". NK News.
  5. Jeongmin Kim; Oliver Hotham (16 June 2020). "North Korea demolishes inter-Korean liaison office at Kaesong". NK News. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  6. Lee Je-hun (22 October 2018). "Forestry cooperation meeting held on Oct. 22 at inter-Korean joint liaison office". The Hankyoreh.
  7. "S. Korean delegation holds sports talks with N. Korea". Yonhap News Agency. 2 November 2018.
  8. Dagyum Ji (2 November 2018). "Two Koreas agree to submit bid on co-hosting 2032 Summer Olympics". NK News.
  9. Ock Hyun-ju (2 November 2018). "Liaison office chiefs from 2 Koreas hold meeting". The Korea Herald.
  10. "Koreas hold meeting of liaison office chiefs amid delayed cross-border projects". Yonhap News Agency. 2 November 2018.
  11. Berlinger, Joshua; Kwon, Jake; Seo, Yoonjung (16 June 2020). "North Korea blows up office used for talks with South". CNN.
  12. "Alert: South Korea says North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office amid rising tensions between the rivals". SFChronicle.com. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  13. Sang-Hun, Choe (16 June 2020). "North Korea Blows Up Liaison Office Shared With South Korea". The New York Times.
  14. Joshua Berlinger; Jake Kwon; Yoonjung Seo (16 June 2020). "North Korea blows up liaison office in Kaesong used for talks with South". CNN. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  15. "North Korea Warns That Inter-Korean Liaison Office May Be 'Collapsed'". The Diplomat. 15 June 2020.
  16. "South Korea president calls for calm after North threatens military steps". CBC News. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 15 June 2020.
  17. "North Korea blows up liaison office as tensions rise with South". Al Jazeera English. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  18. "North Korea blows up South Korea joint office in rebuke of Seoul". The Japan Times. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
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