Seoul Court Orders North Korea to Pay $32.5m Over Blown-Up Liaison Office

A Seoul court has ordered North Korea to pay South Korea about $32.5 million in damages for demolishing the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong in June 2020. The ruling marks the first time South Korea has directly sought damages from the North Korean government. The office was opened in 2018 to support dialogue between the two countries, but its operations stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. North Korea destroyed the building after tensions rose over anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent across the border by activists in the South. Although Seoul says it will consider follow-up steps, observers believe it is unlikely Pyongyang will pay the damages. With North Korea's record of strained relations with the South, enforcing the court order could prove difficult.

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