NKorea blows up inter-Korea liaison office, raising tensions

South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the...
South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Monday, June 15, 2020. South Korean President Moon Jae-in called on North Korea to stop raising animosities and return to talks, saying Monday the rivals must not reverse the peace deals that he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reached during 2018 summits. (Source: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)(Associated Press)
Updated: Jun. 16, 2020 at 7:00 AM EDT
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office building just north of the heavily armed border with South Korea in a dramatic move that sharply raises tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The demolition of the building, which is located on North Korean territory and had no South Koreans working there, is largely symbolic. But it’s still likely the most provocative thing North Korea has done since it entered nuclear diplomacy in 2018 after a U.S.-North Korean standoff had many fearing war. It will pose a serious setback to the efforts of liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in to restore inter-Korean engagement.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the nation destroyed the office in a “terrific explosion.”

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