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North Korea blows up South Korea liaison office, Seoul says

Bloomberg Published on Tue, Jun 16, 2020 / 3:54 PM GMT+8

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(June 16): North Korea destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border Tuesday, South Korea said, shortly after threatening military action in the region over anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent into its territory.

The move was one of the largest provocations North Korea has made against its rival in years and comes after it has cut off communication links set up with its neighbour in 2018. “North Korea blew up the inter-Korean liaison office,” South Korea’s Unification Ministry said in a text message, confirming what many had begun to expect after media reports of an explosion in the area.

The destruction of the building comes about a week after Kim Jong Un’s regime abandoned its operations at the facility that once allowed the rivals to communicate around the clock. North Korea has in recent weeks issued an escalating series of threats against South Korean Moon Jae-in’s government in frustration over his continued support for the U.S.-led sanctions campaign against the country.