South Korea calls for compensation to the North for demolition of office

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favour of the South Korean Government and accepted practically the request in full, in which it was the first lawsuit brought by the Executive against North Korea, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Previous disputes against North Korea in South Korean courts had been initiated by private individuals. However, the court issued the decision without explaining the concrete reasons for the sentence, reported to Yonhap.

The Ministry of Unification filed in June 2023 the claim for compensation for demolition, unilaterally decided by Pyongyang.

Seoul estimated the damage to around EUR 10.3 billion (EUR 6.5 million) by the office and EUR 34.5 billion (EUR 21.8 million) by the adjacent support centre, according to the agency.

Located in the North Korean city of Kaesong and inaugurated in 2018, the office served as a channel of communication and cooperation between the two Koreas and symbolized the rapprochement between them.

North Korea destroyed the facility on June 16, 2020, due to the sending to the country of propaganda against the regime, by anti-Pyongyang activists in South Korea.

While there are no means to force the North to pay, the decision raises questions about Pyongyang's possible reaction and the repercussions on the reconciliation efforts of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

InterKorean relations worsened after the 2019 Hanoi summit between then President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-un, who ended without agreements.

Bilateral tension persists, with the North rejecting dialogue and considering the South a “hostile state”.