South Korea Delays Ruling on North Korea Demolition Lawsuit

South Korea's Unification Ministry has requested a delay in the first court ruling on a landmark damages lawsuit against North Korea for the 2020 demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong.

The Seoul Central District Court postponed the ruling, initially scheduled for July 12, to August 16. The ministry cited the need to review post-verdict actions, as this is the first time the South Korean government has pursued legal action against North Korea for damages. The suit, filed in June 2023, seeks approximately 44.7 billion won (about $32 million) for the destruction of state property.

North Korea destroyed the liaison office on June 16, 2020, citing reasons such as anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent from the South. The lawsuit proceeded via public notice after direct service of process to North Korea proved impossible. While the court may recognize North Korea's legal responsibility, actual recovery of damages is considered virtually impossible due to the lack of North Korean assets in South Korea. A similar case in June saw a court order North Korea to pay 21 million won per survivor to five former Korean War POWs, but no payment has been made.

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As this is the first lawsuit against the North Korean authorities, we need to review what actions to take after the ruling, so we requested a postponement of the sentence from the court.