Seoul angered over North Korea’s demolition of venue for separated families

Seoul’s unification ministry, which handles affairs between the two Koreas, urged in a statement North Korea to immediately stop the action at the site near the border.

The demolition of the facility was an “anti-humanitarian act that tramples on the wishes of separated families”, the ministry said, adding that it would consider legal measures over the action and a joint response with the international community.

Pyongyang also blew up sections of inter-Korean roads and rail lines on its side of the heavily fortified border last year, which prompted South Korea’s military to fire warning shots at the time.

In 2023, Pyongyang scrapped a 2018 military accord designed to curb the risk of inadvertent clashes between two countries that remain technically at war, prompting the South to take a similar step.