# South Korea wins $32.5M judgment against North Korea

> A Seoul court ruled that North Korea must pay for destroying a joint liaison office in 2020, but enforcement remains uncertain.
- Title: South Korea wins $32.5M judgment against North Korea
- Summary: A Seoul court ruled that North Korea must pay for destroying a joint liaison office in 2020, but enforcement remains uncertain. South Korea secured a…
- Keywords: south korea, north korea, joint liaison office, kaesong, court ruling, kim jong un, nuclear negotiations, inter-korean relations, diplomatic breakdown, sanctions, news, entertainment
- Source: New York Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/16/world-news/south-korean-court-orders-north-korea-to-pay-32-5-million-for-blowing-up-joint-liaison-office
- Published: 2026-09-16T07:32:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: south korea, north korea, joint liaison office, kaesong, court ruling, kim jong un, nuclear negotiations, inter-korean relations, diplomatic breakdown, sanctions, news, entertainment
## Seoul court orders North Korea to pay
A South Korean court ruled that North Korea must pay 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) for blowing up a joint liaison office in 2020 as relations deteriorated.
## The symbolic nature of the ruling
Wednesday's ruling by Seoul Central District Court is largely symbolic since South Korea has no clear way to force North Korea to pay amid a complete diplomatic breakdown.
## First government-to-government lawsuit
This was the first time South Korea's government sued North Korea directly, though individuals have previously sued over human rights abuses and other issues.
## The 2020 explosion in Kaesong
In June 2020, North Korea used explosives to destroy the South Korean-built liaison office in the border town of Kaesong after criticizing Seoul for failing to stop defectors from flying propaganda leaflets across the border.
## Nuclear talks collapsed with Washington
The destruction came after diplomacy derailed following the second Kim-Trump summit in 2019, when Americans rejected North Korea's demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for partial nuclear surrender.
## Kim Jong Un now calls South Korea hostile
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has suspended all meaningful diplomacy with the South, declared it his most hostile enemy, and is advancing his nuclear arsenal while strengthening ties with Moscow and Beijing.
## South Korea calls for renewed dialogue
South Korea's Unification Ministry said it respects the court ruling and called for resumption of inter-Korean diplomacy, though current liberal President Lee Jae Myung's calls for talks have been ignored by North Korea so far.
## Key takeaway

South Korea secured a symbolic legal victory against North Korea, though collecting the $32.5 million judgment is practically impossible given the countries' broken diplomatic ties.