North Korea: What's behind the liaison office demolition?

2020-06-16 16:17:26

North Korea has followed through on a threat to demolish a joint liaison office with the South, causing alarm around the world. The establishment of the office was part of a flurry of reconciliatory moves in 2018 after leaders of the Koreas, who are technically still at war, met to try to improve relations. After US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in 2019, there was hope the North would give up its nuclear weapons programme. But nothing came of those highly publicised summits. In recent months there has been intense speculation around the reality of the coronavirus situation in the North - which claims to have no cases - and its economic situation. Rumours have swirled around Kim Jong-un's health and whether the public are being prepared for his sister to take over if needed. So why did the North take this step now and what does it mean? We asked North Korea watchers to give us their snap analysis.