North Korea Blows South Korea Liason Office Shortly After Kim Jong Un’s Sister Issues Threat

Kim Jong Un’s sister released a statement claiming that she has asked the army to prepare for invasion into a demilitarized border zone in response to the defector groups in South Korea that are sending propaganda material to the North.

In response to her guidelines, the military group in North Korea said that it is ready to "turn the front line into a fortress and heighten military vigilance."

Soon after the threat issued by the North Korean army, reports of the country destroying the inter-Korean liaison office toward its side of the border on Tuesday, June 16.

According to a news agency, smoke and explosion were “smoke and an explosion were observed rising from an area close to the industrial park in the North Korean border city of Kaesong.”

The industrial park was jointly established by both the neighboring countries, however, it has been shut due to escalating tensions between North and South Korea. It houses a liaison office, which is responsible for maintaining good relations between Seoul and Pyongyang.

The liaison office had been established in 2018 and was a part of the plan to curb threats along the border. It also allowed for regular communication between the two rivals, for the first time since the 1950-53 Korean War.

“ North Korea is working toward re-militarization of the Kaesong industrial complex,” said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Centre for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute. “And blowing the liaison office in the complex would just be the first step on their road map.”

Cheong further added that blowing up the liaison office is a display of North Korea’s strong will to completely cut off all ties with its southern rival.

Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, issued the threat over the anti-Pyongyang leaflets sent by the South Korean propaganda groups to North Korea. South and North Korea are separated by a demilitarized zone (DMZ), which falls under a 2018 inter-Korean pact.

"I feel it is high time to surely break with the South Korean authorities," said Kim Yo-jong. She further promised to take action and confirmed instructing the military, and said that “rubbish must be thrown into the dustbin."

After the threat was issued by North Korea, the South Korean official released a statement that it is closely working with the U.S. to monitor any military movements across the border.