Court Orders N. Korea to Pay S. Korea 44.6 Billion Won

A Seoul court has ordered North Korea to pay approximately 44.6 billion won (around $32.5 million) to South Korea as compensation for the demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in 2020. This ruling, issued by the Seoul Central District Court, comes three years after the South Korean government initiated legal action against the North.

The inter-Korean liaison office, established in Kaesong in September 2018, was intended to promote communication and cooperation between the two Koreas. However, operations were suspended in January 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the building was destroyed by North Korea on June 16, 2020, in response to Seoul's failure to prevent defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

The lawsuit, filed by the South Korean unification ministry in June 2023, sought compensation for the damages caused by the demolition, which included the cost of the liaison office building and an adjacent support facility. The court awarded the full amount claimed, although it did not elaborate on the reasons behind its decision.

Despite the ruling, collecting the compensation from North Korea may prove challenging, as South Korea lacks the means to enforce payment. Previous civil lawsuits against North Korea have often resulted in similar difficulties in obtaining compensation.