Once a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, the facility, used for reunions of families separated by the Korean War at the scenic resort, is the last remaining one among those built by the South for inter-Korean projects amid a thaw in relations between the two Koreas in the early 2000s.
"North Korea's unilateral demolition of the facility..... constitutes a serious violation of South Korea-owned property," said a ministry spokesperson, denouncing it as an act against humanity. It also urged Pyongyang to halt the demolition immediately.
The ministry is reviewing possible legal actions and seeking the support of the international community to respond to it.
Completed in July 2008 at a cost of over 50 billion won (US$35 million), the facility served as the main venue for family reunions until 2018, with the first gathering held in September 2009.
The latest demolition came after North Korea's destruction of parts of the inter-Korean roads along the border last summer. In June 2020, the North also blew up a cross-border liaison office in Kaesong, which had been refurbished with billions of South Korean taxpayers' money.
Meanwhile, several U.S. senators introduced a bill earlier this week to help reunite those who immigrated to the U.S. and were separated from their family members and relatives still in North Korea since the Korean War. But it remains to be seen whether it could help resume the long-suspended inter-Korean family reunions.
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