Concerns Over the 'Worst Inter-Korean Relations' Since Division... North Korea Finally Blows Up Liaison Office

North Korea Officially Announces "Contact Office Tragically Destroyed"
Completely Abandons Hopes for Inter-Korean Relations... Predicts Korean Peninsula Ice Age
Concerns Over Complete Demolition of Kaesong Industrial Complex and Military Provocations at NLL

President Moon Jae-in (right) and Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea.

With North Korea blowing up the Kaesong Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, inter-Korean relations are expected to enter the worst period since the division of the peninsula.

North Korea's Korean Central Broadcasting and Central TV reported at 5 p.m. on the same day, about two hours after the explosion, that "at 14:50, with a loud blast, the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office was miserably destroyed."

The media stated, "In response to the enraged public sentiment demanding that the culprits and those who condoned them pay the price in full, all communication lines between the North and South have been cut off, and our side has taken measures to completely destroy the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office located in the Kaesong Industrial Complex."

Thus, the liaison office, which opened in Kaesong in September of that year according to the Panmunjom Declaration agreed upon by the North and South Korean leaders on April 27, 2018, has disappeared after one year and nine months of operation.

Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director of the North Korean Workers' Party, had predicted the building's demolition in a statement on the 13th, saying, "Soon, you will witness the miserable sight of the useless Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office collapsing without a trace," and the demolition was swiftly carried out just three days later.

Im Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said, "North Korea has clearly indicated through this demolition that it will not seek to improve inter-Korean relations for a considerable period," and predicted "the worst inter-Korean relations since the division."

Jung Sung-jang, director of the North Korea Research Center at the Sejong Institute, said, "Kim Yo-jong hinted on the 4th about the complete dismantling of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the possibility of terminating the inter-Korean military agreement, and North Korea is expected to promptly move toward the complete dismantling of the Kaesong Industrial Complex."

He analyzed, "Despite the South Korean government's clear intention to strongly regulate defector groups that have been distributing leaflets to North Korea following Kim Yo-jong's statement on the 4th, North Korea is implementing its stance to revert inter-Korean relations to a hostile Cold War-era state because it has judged that there is nothing more to expect from the Moon Jae-in administration."

There are concerns that North Korea will launch full-scale military provocations against the South in the future.

The General Staff of the North Korean People's Army stated in a public announcement on the same day, "We have received opinions to study action plans that would allow troops to re-enter demilitarized zones as per inter-Korean agreements, fortify the front lines, and take measures to further strengthen military vigilance against the South."

Jung Dae-jin, a professor at Ajou University, predicted, "According to North Korea's announcement, it will proceed with 'continuous actions,' accelerating the breakdown of the military agreement through fortification (rearmament) of the demilitarized zone and countermeasures against South Korean leaflets."

Park Won-gon, a professor at Handong University, also said, "Considering North Korea's rapid offensive against the South, the possibility of terminating the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement, mentioned on the 4th, cannot be ruled out."

Professor Park analyzed, "Given North Korea's pattern of provoking after issuing warnings, it is more likely to carry out demonstrative provocations rather than surprise attacks like the 2010 Yeonpyeong Island shelling. They may attempt to nullify the September 19 military agreement through provocations such as opening coastal artillery or firing near the Northern Limit Line (NLL)."