North Korea Dismantles South Korean Fire Station in Geumgangsan Area... Government Announces "Legal Response"

Demolition of Fire Station Next to the Remaining Isang Family Reunion Center

It has been confirmed that North Korea completely demolished the fire station building located in the Mount Kumgang tourism zone at the end of last month. This building is a South Korean asset, and the government plans to consider legal action.

Ku Byung-sam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, stated at a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office on the 10th, "We have confirmed that the fire station, a facility of our government within the Mount Kumgang zone, was demolished by North Korea," adding, "We express strong regret over North Korea's unilateral demolition of the fire station installed by our government and sternly urge North Korea to immediately cease the demolition of our facilities."

Fire station building erected next to the separated families reunion center within the Mount Kumgang tourist area.
[Photo by Ministry of Unification]

The facility demolished this time by the North is the fire station adjacent to the separated families reunion center in the Mount Kumgang zone. It is a reinforced concrete building with one basement floor and two above-ground floors, constructed on a 4,900㎡ site with a total floor area of 890㎡. At the time, 2.2 billion KRW of government budget was invested in construction and equipment purchase. Although the facility was completed in July 2008, it was never actually used. This was because Mount Kumgang tourism was immediately suspended after the incident in which tourist Park Wang-ja was fatally shot by North Korean soldiers just three days after completion.

There were two South Korean government assets in the Mount Kumgang tourism zone: the separated families reunion center and the fire station building. However, with the demolition of the fire station building this time, only the reunion center remains. The reason why North Korea left the reunion center but demolished only the adjacent fire station facility is unclear. However, while the reunion center underwent several renovations and repairs until the 2018 separated families reunion, the fire station had not been operated since its completion 16 years ago and was reportedly in a severely deteriorated state.

The building marked with a red circle in the satellite image is the fire station facility before demolition, and the building below it is the reunion center for separated families.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The government has been aware of the demolition activities since last year and confirmed that the demolition was completed at the end of last month. The government plans to consider legal action against the unauthorized demolition by the North. Spokesperson Ku said, "North Korea's unilateral demolition cannot be justified by any reason, and all responsibility lies entirely with the North Korean authorities," adding, "We will consider legal measures regarding this matter." When asked if the legal measures would involve filing a lawsuit for damages, he replied, "We are considering it in that way."

Previously, in June last year, the government filed a lawsuit for damages at the Seoul Central District Court over North Korea's demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office. At that time, the government also hinted at the possibility of legal action regarding the unauthorized operation of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the demolition of South Korean assets in Mount Kumgang. Since October 2019, following the so-called 'Hanoi No Deal' after the February 2019 Vietnam North Korea-U.S. summit, North Korea has successively demolished facilities of South Korean companies. This was in accordance with the directive of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un to "completely remove the shabby South Korean facilities that are unpleasant to look at."