Pyongyang Confirms Complete Destruction of Kaesong Liaison Office - State Media

SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2020) Pyongyang confirmed on Tuesday that the inter-Korean liaison office in the industrial complex located in North Korea's border town of Kaesong has been completely destroyed by an explosion, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Earlier in the day, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing a military source, that explosions were heard and smoke seen in Kaesong's industrial zone.

According to the KCNA, a "terrific" explosion ruined the joint liaison office in the industrial zone at 05:50 GMT, which was in line with "the mindset of the enraged people" angered by activists from South Korea who have sent balloons with leaflets criticizing the rule of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un across the border.

Relations between the two neighbors soured last week as North Korea threatened state-level action if Seoul failed to curb the anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaign, which was being carried out by South-based defectors. Kim Jong Un's sister, Kim Yo Jong, said the counteraction would include demolishing the inactive South Korean industrial compound in Kaesong and withdrawing from the bilateral military agreements.

Meanwhile, the General Staff of the Korean People's Army has said that North Korea was studying the possibility of deploying its army to zones demilitarized in accordance with the intra-Korean agreements. The KCNA reported that the North Korean army would "immediately and consistently" implement any decision and decree of the party and government.