[3] Following the breakdown of the 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit, the firm faced a long-term suspension, but this did not affect the twice-daily communication between the liaison officers of the two sides.

[8] On June 4, 2020, Kim Yo-jong, an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the First Vice Minister of the Organization and Guidance Department, said that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was dissatisfied with a group of defectors sending 500,000 leaflets, 50 manuals, 2,000 $1 bills, and 1,000 memory cards along the Korean Demilitarized Zone on May 31 toward the DPRK, and demanded to immediately improve the situation.

[9] Subsequently, a spokesman for the United Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea unilaterally announced the closure of the inter-Korean Liaison Office the following day.

[15] After the South Korean government was informed of the North's dissatisfaction, the Ministry of Unification spokesman Roh Sang-ki said at a regular press conference on June 4 that the act of spreading anti-DPRK leaflets threatened the safety of people and property in the border area and that the government was studying an effective plan in this regard and called on people not to spread anti-DPRK leaflets at the border.

[18] On the following day, a regular press conference of the Ministry of Unification of Korea stated that the DPRK answered the phone on the afternoon of the 8th, but did not mention why they did not take the call in the morning and said that the two sides should maintain communication channels.

[22] On June 10, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea reported two groups of defectors who had violated the regulations on the distribution of leaflets to the DPRK under the Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act and decided to cancel their registration licenses.

[23] On June 14, the Korean government expressed concern over Kim's remarks,[24] and the Ministry of National Defense held an emergency meeting at the Blue House on the same morning to check the military's readiness and discuss how to deal with North Korea.

[25] Yonhap News Agency quoted sources as saying that the South Korean government observed vehicles suspected of carrying explosives at the inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office after Kim and Jung spoke on June 13.

[27] On the morning of June 16, the General Staff Headquarters of the Korean People's Army issued a communiqué stating that it is fully prepared for the ongoing deterioration of inter-Korean relations and that it has firmly guaranteed any external measures taken by the party and the government from a military perspective.

[37] The President of the Republic of Korea, Moon Jae-in, convened a plenary session of the National Security Council after learning of the destruction of his office,[38] the ninth time since he took power.

[41] In regards to the North's bombing of the office, Yoon Do-han, chief secretary for national communications at Blue House, said that the South Korean government has not received any plans or notifications.

[43] According to the photos taken by the television station, Korean Broadcasting System, on June 17 at a height of about 2000 meters in the no-fly zone along the Military Demarcation Line,[44] it was also found that the comprehensive support center for the Kaesong Industrial Area near the office was also affected and seriously damaged.

[52] The leaflets were published with a picture of Moon drinking tea, a string of mocking words and a lot of smoked cigarette butts on the end.

[60] The Korean media "Central Daily" pointed out that North Korea had observed the dismantling and reinstallation of loudspeakers at the Peace Observatory in Ganghwa County, Incheon Prefecture, while South Korean Congressman Kim Yong Ho expressed through the media,[61] South Korea's Vice Minister of Unification, Xu Hu, confirmed that the DPRK had completely removed loudspeakers in the border areas when attending a private forum of the National Committee on Foreign Affairs Unification.

[69] The Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper issued a joint statement on the same day, calling on the North Korean authorities to exercise self-restraint and decide to maintain peace and security in Northeast Asia through trilateral and multilateral security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan.

[85] On September 29, Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Korean Workers' Party, delivered a policy speech on "the current direction of struggle for new development of socialist construction" at the 5th session of the 14th Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK,[86] pointing out that the pipeline between the two sides is expected to be restored in early October of the same year.

[92] On June 16, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, said he would "work closely with South Korea and the United States and analyze intelligence to respond" after being informed of the bombing of the inter-Korean liaison office,[93] while the Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference on June 17 that the Japanese government was very concerned about North Korea's actions and that it was "maintaining the necessary alert posture to be fully prepared for all incidents.

[100] On June 22, the military aircraft tracking website also pointed out that two B-52 Stratospheric Fortress bombers were observed flying from Alaska's Aisin base to the Philippine Sea via Japan, which was seen as a measure to warn the North Korean side.

[110][111] The government has also issued a statement saying that the national security team is closely monitoring the latest developments and is in constant contact with all relevant countries.

[115] According to a check by the Korean media outlet World Journal, it was confirmed that the malicious leaflet was put out by extreme conservative groups such as Pyongyang Citizens' Association and Blue Union in October 2013 when Park Geun-hye was in power.