Archive · 16 Sep 2026
Seoul Court Orders North Korea to Pay Liaison Office Damages
A court in Seoul told North Korea to pay South Korea about $32.5 million.
The money is for a building that North Korea destroyed in 2020.
The building was a joint office where the two Koreas worked on communication and cooperation.
It had opened in 2018 during a period of improved relations.
North Korea destroyed it after objecting to anti-North Korea leaflets sent across the border.
South Korea filed the lawsuit in 2023.
North Korea did not send a representative to the court hearing.
South Korea won the case, but it may not be able to make North Korea pay.
The South Korean government said it still hopes the two Koreas can solve issues through dialogue.
The Seoul Central District Court ordered North Korea to pay South Korea about 44.6 billion won, or $32.5 million.
The compensation concerns North Korea’s June 2020 demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong.
The court granted the full amount sought by South Korea but did not provide specific reasons for its ruling.
Damages included 10.25 billion won for the liaison office and 34.45 billion won for an adjacent support facility.
North Korea did not participate in the hearing, and South Korea may struggle to collect the money.
- Who
- The South Korean government and North Korea; the Seoul Central District Court issued the ruling.
- What
- The court ordered North Korea to pay 44,626,410,722 won in compensation for demolishing an inter-Korean liaison office and damaging a support facility.
- When
- The demolition occurred on June 16, 2020; South Korea filed the lawsuit in June 2023, and the verdict was issued on a Wednesday.
- Where
- The destroyed facilities were in Kaesong, North Korea; the case was heard by the Seoul Central District Court.
- Why
- North Korea demolished the office to protest Seoul’s failure to stop North Korean defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
- Compensation ordered
- 44,626,410,722 won, approximately $32.5 million
- Liaison office damage
- 10.25 billion won
- Support facility damage
- 34.45 billion won
- Demolition date
- June 16, 2020
- Lawsuit filed
- June 2023
- Court participation
- North Korea had no representative at the hearing
- Collection prospects
- South Korea may have difficulty enforcing payment