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July 8 (UPI) -- A South Korean lawyer is suing North Korea's Kim Yo Jong over the demolition of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong. Lee Kyung-jae, an attorney with law firm Dongbuka, said Wednesday he is accusing Kim Jong Un's powerful sister and Pak Jong Chon, chief of the general staff of the Korean People's Army, for the use of explosives to destroy the office, a public property, Yonhap and South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo reported.
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Kim and Pak are believed to have been directly responsible for using explosives to destroy the office in North Korea, which first opened in 2018. South Korea paid for the construction and operation of the building, including supplying the office with electricity across the border.
In his lawsuit, Lee said Kim ordered the bombing of the liaison office and that there is evidence she was ultimately responsible for the destruction.
In June the North Korean official had warned, "Before long, a tragic scene of the useless North-South joint liaison office completely collapsed would be seen." The building was destroyed on June 16, and North Korea aired footage of the demolition on state television.
Kim Jong Un was not included in the South Korean lawsuit filed Wednesday. At the time of the blast he was staying mostly out of the public spotlight. He also did not issue statements on the incident.
South Korea's criminal code bans the use of explosives to harm people or property. A defendant found guilty of blowing up property can be sentenced to prison for at least seven years, and not more than 10 years in prison for the destruction of a public building, according to Yonhap.
Lee, who has defended an official who worked for former President Park Geun-hye, said in his argument North Korea is an "anti-state organization," and that the international community should impose sanctions against Kim Yo Jong, who is believed to be the vice director of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Korean Workers' Party.
