S. Korea says DPRK blows up inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong

South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Tuesday that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) demolished an inter-Korean liaison office in the DPRK’s border town of Kaesong by an explosion.

The South Korean ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs said in a brief statement that the DPRK blew up the Kaesong joint liaison office at 2:49 p.m. local time (0549 GMT).

The liaison office was opened in September 2018 for the round-the-clock communications between the two Koreas in accordance with the Panmunjom Declaration.

The declaration was signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un after their first summit on April 27, 2018 at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjom.

The joint liaison office has been temporarily closed since January over the COVID-19 outbreak.

According to a military source cited by multiple local media, an explosion was heard and smoke was seen rising from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, an inter-Korean factory park in Kaesong housing the liaison office.

An official at the South Korean defense ministry told Xinhua over phone that the ministry had nothing to confirm over the issue.

The explosion came after Kim Yo Jong, first vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and younger sister of the DPRK leader, said in a statement Saturday night that she had given instructions for decisive action to be taken.