Blowing up a building meant to symbolize friendship may have been North Korea’s forceful way of demanding help for an economy straining under international sanctions and borders shut by the coronavirus.
The destruction of the $15 million facility paid for by South Korea in the North Korean border city of Kaesong was one of the biggest provocations Kim Jong Un’s regime has made against its neighbor in years.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s government has warned Kim against reckless provocations, but the destroying of the building so far hasn’t derailed plans in parliament to revive inter-Korean cooperation or attempts to persuade the Trump administration to loosen its stance on Pyongyang.