South Korea wins damages ruling against North Korea over 2020 blast

A Seoul court on Wednesday ordered North Korea to pay 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) in damages over its 2020 demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office, South Korean media reports, in the first ruling in a lawsuit brought by Seoul against Pyongyang.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the South Korean government and ordered North Korea to pay the full amount sought by Seoul over the destruction of the liaison office in the border city of Kaesong in June 2020. The court also ordered North Korea to cover the litigation costs.

The lawsuit was filed in June 2023 under the previous conservative administration of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon was later removed from office after declaring martial law in December 2024 in a short-lived move that triggered a political crisis.

The South Korean government said at the time that North Korea’s demolition of the facility was “clearly illegal under the law.” It said the 2023 lawsuit was filed in part to suspend the statute of limitations on its damages claim, which was due to expire that year.

North Korea blew up the liaison office in the Kaesong Industrial Complex on June 16, 2020, citing the distribution of propaganda leaflets across the border by a group of North Korean defectors.

Immediately after the blast, the South Korean government said responsibility for all consequences arising from the demolition lay entirely with North Korea.

The liaison office had been established under the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration as a round-the-clock channel for communication and consultation between the two Koreas.

Seoul calculated the damages at 44.7 billion won, including compensation for the liaison office and a nearby inter-Korean economic cooperation support centre that was damaged and rendered unusable by the blast. The court ultimately awarded 44.6 billion won.

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it respected the court’s ruling and would review the necessary follow-up measures. It also expressed hope that inter-Korean dialogue could resume and that issues between the two Koreas could be addressed through cooperation.

By Tamilla Hasanova