In a dramatic representation of current tensions on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea on June 16 literally blew up its joint liaison office with South Korea in the city of Kaesong, inside the borders of the hermit kingdom.
This followed a statement earlier this month, foreshadowing this move, by Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister and a rising star in the North Korean political firmament. Speculation is rife that she is being established as successor-designate to Kim Jong Un, who has no known adult children, and may be attempting to demonstrate her bona fides by taking a hard line against Seoul.
The day following Kim Yo Jong’s statement, North Korea more formally announced it would pull out of the joint liaison office, which had functioned as a two-way North-South embassy of sorts. Pyongyang attempted to justify its decision by complaining that Seoul did not stop North Korean defectors from sending balloons with anti-Kim leaflets over the border to the North. In May 2018, Seoul had made a commitment to end the balloon propaganda campaign.