The moment the Korea-North Korea Liaison Office collapsed

The South Korean military released a black-and-white video this morning showing a panoramic view of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office in the city of Kaesong, on the North Korean border. At around 2:50 p.m. on June 16 (12:50 p.m. Hanoi time), explosives were detonated, causing the entire structure of the four-story building to collapse, sending smoke and dust billowing into the air. Black smoke was seen from the South Korean border shortly afterward.

"The building was completely destroyed at 2:50 p.m. in an extremely powerful explosion," North Korean media reported, in what was seen as retaliation after a group of defectors in South Korea used balloons to send propaganda leaflets into North Korea.

The Inter-Korean Liaison Office was built in the Kaesong Industrial Complex in accordance with the Panmunjom Declaration signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during their summit on April 27, 2018. The office serves as the two countries' embassies, providing a direct communication channel between the two Koreas. Dozens of officials from both countries work in the building, and South Korean officials visit the building every week.

Scene of North Korea collapsing the joint liaison office with South Korea. Photo: KCNA.

The office has been closed since January 30 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. South Korean officials have not been to the building since then, according to the South Korean Unification Ministry.

The destruction of the liaison office comes just days after Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said over the weekend that the "useless" liaison office would soon "completely collapse." A youth union at a North Korean coal mine later said it was ready to help plant explosives to "blow up" the office.

An official at the South Korean presidential office called the North's decision to blow up the liaison office "an act of betrayal of the expectations of all those who wish to improve inter-Korean relations and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula." The South Korean defense ministry said it was monitoring North Korea's armed forces and would "strongly respond" to any military provocation./.