An artist's rendering of the Reunion Center for Separated Families at Mount Kumgang, North Korea. (South Korea’s Ministry of Unification)
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea condemned North Korea’s demolition of a 12-story resort where families separated by the Korean War held brief reunions, calling the action “an act against humanity.”
The 206-room Reunion Center for Separated Families at Mount Kumgang, or Diamond Mountain, is about 15 miles north of the border, according to a statement Thursday from the South Korean Ministry of Unification.
“The government expresses deep regret over the North’s unilateral dismantlement of a facility that was built by agreement between the two Koreas, and sternly urges the North to immediately suspend all such actions,” the ministry said. “Demolishing the reunion center is an act against humanity that crushes the yearning of separated families, as well as a grave infringement of our state-owned property.”
Built for $38 million, the building hosted group reunions for families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War, according to the ministry. Families shared meals and took walks along the scenic mountain during their hourslong reunions before returning to their respective homes.
On April 27, 2018, then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to “boldly open up a new era of national reconciliation, peace and prosperity,” according to a joint statement.
Four months later, at the last reunion at the resort on Aug. 20, 2018, nearly 90 South Koreans, including a 101-year-old, briefly met with their families living in the North.
A symbol of reconciliation between North and South, the resort also laid the groundwork for economic exchanges through tourism. South Koreans were allowed to tour the resort for 10 years before the trips were halted in 2008, when a South Korean woman was fatally shot by North Korean troops who alleged she had entered a restricted area.
Pyongyang has destroyed other reconciliatory symbols amid strained relations with Seoul.
In April, roughly three months after Kim described Seoul as his “primary foe” in a speech, North Korea demolished a fire station that served visitors to the mountain. South Korea paid $1.6 million in 2008 to build the two-story station, according to the Unification Ministry.
North Korea also used explosives on Oct. 15 to destroy unused roads and railway lines that connected the two countries. Debris from the explosion flew south of the border, prompting South Korean soldiers to fire warning shots, according to South Korea’s military.
