North Korea damages ruling over liaison office demolition postponed until next month

The ruling in the Ministry of Unification's damages lawsuit against North Korea over the demolition of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office has been postponed at the ministry's request. The case has drawn attention as the first damages suit filed by the government against North Korean authorities. In the complaint, the plaintiff was listed as the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the defendant as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). North Korea blew up the Inter-Korean Liaison Office building in June 2020, the year after the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit ended without a deal, citing anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns by a defector group.
According to legal sources on the 11th, the Civil Division 46 of the Seoul Central District Court postponed the ruling in the damages suit related to the demolition of the Inter-Korean Liaison Office from the 12th to next month’s 16th, following a request from the Ministry of Unification.
A ministry official explained, "This is the first case of a lawsuit against North Korea, and we requested the postponement because there was a practical need to review post-ruling measures and other related issues." However, the official said, "We are not considering withdrawing the suit at this point."
The Ministry of Unification filed the lawsuit against North Korea in June 2023, during the Yoon Suk Yeol government, to stop the three-year statute of limitations on the claim for damages from expiring and to preserve state claims. At the time, the ministry estimated the loss of state property caused by the demolition at 44.7 billion won, including 10.25 billion won for the office building and 34.45 billion won for the adjacent comprehensive support center.
With inter-Korean relations severed, North Korea is unlikely to respond to the lawsuit. Even if the government wins the damages case, there is no means to compel North Korea to pay.
[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter