(LEAD) Court orders N. Korea to pay S. Korea 44.6 bln won over 2020 demolition of liaison office

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SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- A Seoul court ruled Wednesday that North Korea must pay about 44.6 billion won (US$32.5 million) in compensation to the South Korean government for the 2020 demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office building in the North's border town of Kaesong.

The Seoul Central District Court issued the ruling three years and three months after the South Korean government filed its first lawsuit against North Korea.

The court effectively granted the full amount of 44,626,410,722 won claimed by the plaintiff, though it did not provide specific reasons for the ruling.

This file photo, taken from the South Korean border city of Paju on July 1, 2020, shows the demolished inter-Korean liaison office in the North Korean border town of Kaesong after the North blew up the building on June 16 that year. (Yonhap)

The two Koreas opened the liaison office in Kaesong in September 2018 to facilitate inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, amid a reconciliatory mood created by summit talks between their leaders in April that year. The office suspended its operations in January 2020 due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.

The North blew up the joint liaison office building on June 16, 2020, in protest of Seoul's failure to stop North Korean defectors from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

The unification ministry sued North Korea in June 2023 over the incident, seeking compensation -- the first time the South Korean government has taken legal action against the North.

The ministry estimated that the total damages included 10.25 billion won for the liaison office building itself and 34.45 billion won for an adjacent support facility, which was seriously damaged by the demolition.

The court proceedings took place without any representative of North Korea. Despite winning the case, however, the plaintiff may find it difficult to actually collect the compensation, as has been the case with previous civil lawsuits against North Korea. South Korea has no means of forcing Pyongyang to make the payment.

South Korea's unification ministry said it "respects the court's ruling and will seek necessary measures."

"The ministry hopes that inter-Korean dialogue resumes, and the two Koreas can resolve all pending issues through dialogue," it said in a statement.

The ruling is expected to stand without further legal action as North Korea is unlikely to respond.

This undated file photo shows the inter-Korean liaison office building in the North Korean border town of Kaesong before being blown up by the North. (Yonhap)

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(LEAD) Court orders N. Korea to pay S. Korea 44.6 bln won over 2020 demolition of liaison office

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首尔，9月16日（韩联社）——首尔一家法院周三裁定，朝鲜必须向韩国政府支付约446亿韩元（3250万美元）的赔偿金，以补偿其在2020年拆除位于朝鲜边境城市开城的朝韩联络办公室大楼的行为。

在韩国政府对朝鲜提起首起诉讼三年零三个月后，首尔中央地方法院作出了裁决。

法院实际上判决原告胜诉，获得原告要求的 44,626,410,722 韩元全额赔偿，但并未给出判决的具体理由。

这张摄于2020年7月1日韩国边境城市坡州的资料照片显示，位于朝鲜边境城市开城的朝韩联络办公室在同年6月16日被朝鲜炸毁后，已被夷为平地。（韩联社）

2018年4月，朝韩领导人举行峰会，营造了和解氛围。为了促进朝韩交流与合作，朝韩两国于同年9月在开城设立了联络办公室。2020年1月，由于新冠疫情的影响，该办公室暂停运作。

2020年6月16日，朝鲜炸毁了朝韩联络办公室大楼，以抗议首尔未能阻止朝鲜脱北者向朝鲜散发反平壤传单。

2023年6月，韩国统一部就此事起诉朝鲜，要求赔偿——这是韩国政府首次对朝鲜采取法律行动。

该部估计，总损失包括联络办公室大楼本身的102.5亿韩元和相邻的配套设施的344.5亿韩元，后者在拆除过程中遭到严重破坏。

庭审过程中，朝鲜方面没有任何代表出庭。尽管原告胜诉，但正如以往针对朝鲜的民事诉讼一样，他可能难以实际获得赔偿。韩国没有办法强制平壤支付赔偿金。

韩国统一部表示“尊重法院的裁决，并将寻求必要的措施”。

该部在一份声明中表示：“该部希望韩朝对话恢复，韩朝双方能够通过对话解决所有悬而未决的问题。”

预计该裁决将维持不变，不会采取进一步的法律行动，因为朝鲜不太可能做出回应。

这张未注明日期的资料照片显示的是位于朝鲜边境城市开城的朝韩联络办公室大楼，该大楼在被朝鲜炸毁前的状态。（韩联社）

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首尔将举办首届中亚峰会，讨论关键矿产和供应链合作等议题。

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（导语）法院裁定朝鲜因2020年拆除朝韩联络办公室一事向韩国支付446亿韩元赔偿金