Born as an outcome of the April 27 Panmunjom Inter-Korean Summit
Functioning as the first-ever '24 hours·365 days' communication channel
Frozen after the Hanoi North Korea-US Summit no-deal, fading into history
Ministry of Unification announces "North Korea blew up the office building at 2:50 PM"
Opening ceremony of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office held at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in September 2018 The Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, established as a result of the April 27 Panmunjom Inter-Korean Summit, was brutally blown up before it could even surpass two years since its opening.
On the 16th, the Ministry of Unification announced, "North Korea detonated the Joint Liaison Office building in Kaesong at 14:49."
Thus, the liaison office, which opened in Kaesong in September of the same year according to the 'Panmunjom Declaration' agreed upon by the South and North Korean leaders on April 27, 2018, disappeared just 19 months after its inauguration.
Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, had earlier declared in a statement on the 13th that she would hand over the 'next hostile action' authority to the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, and said, "Soon, you will witness the miserable sight of the useless North-South Joint Liaison Office collapsing without a trace." The warning became reality in just three days.
Minister of Unification Kim Yeon-chul is leaving the National Assembly during the full meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 16th while giving a work report. North Korea blew up the Kaesong Industrial Complex Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office while Minister Kim Yeon-chul was giving the work report at the National Assembly. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
On the same day, loud explosions and smoke were observed on the South Korean side near the Kaesong Industrial Complex.
A resident of Daeseong-dong Village in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, said, "There was a loud explosion and smoke as if there was a fire."
According to military sources, loud explosions and smoke were witnessed around the Kaesong Industrial Complex area.
It appears that the government authorities were not aware of the liaison office explosion in advance.
Kim Yeon-chul, Minister of Unification, appeared before the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee at 2 p.m. that day to report on his duties. The liaison office explosion occurred during this briefing.
When the explosion was urgently reported through the media, Minister Kim said, "(The explosion) was somewhat anticipated," adding, "We need to confirm the situation more precisely."
He also said, "The explosion happened while I was here," but could not provide detailed explanations.
When Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Hae-cheol suggested that Minister Kim might not be fully informed, he responded, "I have been receiving reports little by little."
Regarding the explosion near the Kaesong Industrial Complex, Minister Kim briefly exchanged questions and answers with the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee members before leaving.
Minister of Unification Kim Yeon-chul is leaving the National Assembly during the full meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on the 16th while giving a work report. North Korea blew up the Kaesong Industrial Complex Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office while Minister Kim was giving the work report at the National Assembly. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
Meanwhile, the liaison office opened with symbolic significance as the first-ever '24 hours a day, 365 days a year' consultation channel in inter-Korean relations.
In the 'Panmunjom Declaration,' the South and North Korean leaders agreed to "establish a Joint Liaison Office in the Kaesong area where officials from both sides would be stationed to closely coordinate between authorities and smoothly guarantee civilian exchanges and cooperation."
Despite controversies such as sanctions violations during the preparation process, the opening ceremony was successfully held on September 14 last year, attended by then Minister of Unification Cho Myoung-gyon and Ri Son-gwon, Chairman of North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland.
The liaison office building was a renovated four-story building previously used as the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Office within the Kaesong Industrial Complex. South Korean personnel were stationed on the second floor, and North Korean personnel on the fourth floor, regularly meeting face-to-face.
Shortly after opening, various inter-Korean talks and working-level meetings in fields such as forestry cooperation, sports, healthcare cooperation, and communications were often held at the liaison office. The government had praised the liaison office as a representative achievement in inter-Korean relations.
However, after the Hanoi North Korea-U.S. Summit ended in a 'no deal' in February last year, the inter-Korean working-level meetings were suspended, leading to dysfunctional operations.
With the added variable of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), South Korean personnel withdrew starting January 30 this year, completely halting face-to-face consultations, which eventually culminated in the explosion.
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