Inter-Korean Liaison Office

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Some North Korean officials returned to the inter-Korean joint liaison office in the North Korean border town of Gaeseong on March 25. The move was made three days after their sudden withdrawal. The return comes as a welcome relief to cross-border cooperative projects. However, the push and pull between North Korea and the U.S. is expected to continue for the time being.

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Some North Korean personnel have returned to an inter-Korean joint liaison office in the North Korean border town of Gaeseong, three days after Pyongyang abruptly withdrew all of its staff last Friday. The North Korean personnel returned to work around the same time when 39 South Korean liaison officials crossed the Military Demarcation Line. The liaison chiefs from North Korea and South Korea then held a meeting as per usual. At the meeting, North Korea said there is no shift in Pyongyang's stance that the liaison office should be operated in line with inter-Korean joint declarations. Seoul welcomed the North Korean personnel's return.

[Soundbite] Baek Tae-hyun(Unification Ministry Spokesman) : "A meeting was held between the two sides' liaison chiefs. The liaison office will operate as per usual."

The North did not elaborate on why it decided to have the personnel return. However, analysts say that it is a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's order to lift additional sanctions on the regime last weekend. However, other analysts suggest that Pyongyang may have withdrawn the liaison office staff to convey new instructions to them ahead of an important foreign policy decision. This is a similar move to North Korea's summoning of ambassadors last week. The Unification Ministry in Seoul said that nine South Korean officials went to work at the liaison office on March 26.