NorthKorea blew up an inter-Korean liaison officebuildingjustnorthof the heavily armed border withSouthKorea, which may be more for domestic consumption, but also signifies the impotence of US-DPRK diplomacy. Easier to develop disinformation blaming South Korea and the US than the PRC. Trump’s incompetence continues as in the aggregate, any diplomacy with the DPRK seemed only a means to distract US domestic opinion.
The Liaison Office functioned as a communication channel between the North and South, as the two countries do not share diplomatic relations. The office, located in North Korea’s Kaesong Industrial Region, served as a de facto embassy.
The basis for the Office was detailed in the 2018 Panmunjom Declaration, signed by North Korean leader Kim Jung-um and the South Korean President Moon Jae-in. The Office hosted meetings between the two countries, which focused on areas in which the two countries could cooperate towards shared goals.
Kim Jung-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong foreshadowed the building’s demolition, saying that “before long, a tragic scene of the useless North-South joint liaison office completely collapsed would be seen.” nationalinterest.org/…
One of the noteworthy results of the meeting office was a meeting between North Korean Vice-Minister of Physical Culture and Sports Won Kil U and South Korean Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Roh Tae-kang. The meeting resulted in a bid to host the 2032 Olympic games in both North and South Korea, with a unified Korean team to participate in the 2020 Olympics. South Korea reportedly spent over $8.6 million to refurbish the office facility.
Both North and South Korean officials worked in the building…
North Korea says it will redeploy its military to now-shuttered inter-Korean tourism and economic sites, reinstall guard posts and resume military exercises at front-line areas. The moves would nullify the 2018 reconciliation deals reached with the South. https://t.co/tHmjLMBpev
Background map from @AFP on the inter-Korean liaison office. #NorthKorea demolished the building as tensions rise over defectors in the South sending propaganda leaflets into the North
Behind the scenes:Experts generally view this as a play for leverage from Kim Jong-un’s regime, which has expressed fury over America's unwillingness to loosen sanctions and is believed to be facing a severe economic downturn amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
North Korea has also expressed outrage over propaganda leaflets sent across the border from the South.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, has been taking a central role in the rhetorical offensive from Pyongyang.
What to watch:Nuclear talks are likely to remain on ice this year, with an election approaching in the U.S.
The Kim regime’s goals include weakening the U.S.-South Korea alliance and reminding Washington “that North Korea is still a force to be reckoned with,” said Glyn Davies, who served as a special representative for North Korea during the Obama administration, in a recent International Crisis Group webinar.
U.S. intelligence says North Korea has continued to develop its nuclear program since President Trump’s two summits with Kim, which did not yield a deal on denuclearization.
