Key facts
- A Seoul court ordered North Korea to pay 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) in damages for demolishing an inter-Korean liaison office.
- North Korea destroyed the liaison office building on June 16, 2020.
- The South Korean government filed a lawsuit seeking compensation for the demolition.
- The unification ministry estimated damages at 10.25 billion won for the building and 34.45 billion won for an adjacent support facility.
A Seoul court has ordered North Korea to pay approximately 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) in damages for demolishing an inter-Korean liaison office building in the North's border town of Kaesong in June 2020. The ruling was issued by the Seoul Central District Court three years and three months after the South Korean government filed its lawsuit.
The court granted the full amount claimed by the plaintiff, though specific reasons for the ruling were not provided. The inter-Korean liaison office was opened in Kaesong in September 2018 to facilitate exchange and cooperation between the two Koreas. It suspended operations in January 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.
North Korea destroyed the building on June 16, 2020, in protest against Seoul's failure to prevent defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. The unification ministry sued North Korea in June 2023, estimating total damages at 10.25 billion won for the building itself and 34.45 billion won for an adjacent support facility that was seriously damaged. Court proceedings took place without any North Korean representation.
South Korea's unification ministry stated it respects the court's ruling and will seek necessary measures, expressing hope for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue to resolve pending issues. However, collecting the compensation may prove difficult, as has been the case with previous civil lawsuits against North Korea, given South Korea's lack of means to force Pyongyang to pay.