North pulls out of inter-Korean liaison office

By Riyaz ul Khaliq</p> <p>ANKARA – North Korea has withdrawn from an inter-Korean liaison office in its border city of Kaesong, as the denuclearization process reached a deadlock following last month’s summit between the U.S. and Pyongyang leaders in Hanoi, South Korean media reported on Friday.</p> <p>Quoting a statement from South’s Unification Ministry, Yonhap news agency said officials from North notified their counterparts from South during a liaison officers' meeting earlier in the day that “it would pull out of the office”.</p> <p>The officials from North Korea cited “directive from the higher-ups” to withdraw, Yonhap said. </p> <p>In September last year, the inter-Korean office was opened to facilitate inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation in accordance with an agreement that President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reached at their first summit in April. </p> <p>“The North said it will not care about whether South Korean officials remain or withdraw from the office,” the news agency said quoting the statement. </p> <p>&quot;The government considers this withdrawal decision regrettable and hopes the North will return at an early date so that the office will be operated normally,” Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung told a press briefing, according to Yonhap. </p> <p>However, Chun added that all other inter-Korean communication channels are operating normally and the government will comprehensively review the situation and contemplate follow-up measures.