North Korea has revealed the reason behind the bombing of the inter-Korean liaison office on Tuesday. Pyongyang said the demolition was the country's answer to the South that broke 2018 agreements including the Panmunjom Declaration. South Korea is behaving like a 'mongrel dog', said North.
The reason was explained in an article in the state-run newspaper. The report stated that South Korea's defense ministry was like a scared mongrel dog bragging and bluffing, rattling the dialogue partner and stoking confrontational atmosphere.
Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong slammed South Korean President Moon Jae-In and said that he was putting his neck into the noose of pro-US flunkeyism. She criticized the South for taking the side of the U.S. instead of respecting the North-South agreement.
Meanwhile, North also had expressed its anger against South for sending propaganda materials over to the North, showing the country in bad light. But the Tuesday bombing looks like a stern warning as it was a joint liaison office near the North-South border and the bomb blew on the northern territory. Moreover, the office was empty and no casualty was reported.
North to Redeploy Troops in Demilitarized Zone
The liaison office was opened in 2018 with an aim to help the two countries communicate. After the propaganda material issue, North had cut all communication with the South including the hotline. In addition, North Korea threatened to deploy troops into the border zone again.
The army deployment at specific regions in the border zone was removed after the 2018 deal between the two countries. North's military stated that it will deploy troops in the demilitrarized border zone, i.e. closed industrial complex in Kaesong and the Mount Kumgang tourist zone on the east coast.
Giving further reasons for the North's anger, Kim Yo Jong said that the north-south agreements were wonderful but not even a step was taken to implement it as South's president started dancing to the tune of the U.S. She said that soon after signing the north-south agreement the latter accepted the South Korea-US working group on the advice of the U.S.
South Korea Still Ready For Talks With North
Reacting to North's retaliation, South Korea President Moon Jae-In criticized the attack and said North's conduct was senseless. He said that the South will not tolerate any further unreasonable behavior by the North.
However, he still expressed hope that both sides will act according to the 2018 agreement and said the South was still ready for talks with the North. It even offered to send special envoys to ease tension. But North took no time in refusing the offer. Instead, it has threatened the South with redeploying of the military along the border.
