The U.S. State Department has announced the delivery of documents related to a U.S. court ruling that holds North Korea and Iran liable for approximately 480 million USD in damages.
On Wednesday, Voice of America (VOA) reported that a State Department spokesperson confirmed on Monday the receipt of documents pertaining to the Alkhalili case and the Kimberlin case, in response to inquiries about the delivery status of North Korea-related lawsuit documents.
The State Department disclosed that it had submitted evidence to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, demonstrating that documents from the Alkhalili case had been delivered to North Korea. This action is part of the process for serving legal documents to foreign governments under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA).
The Alkhalili case involves a lawsuit filed by 47 American victims of terrorist attacks in the Middle East against North Korea and Iran. Last month, the court ordered the two countries to pay a total of 486,675,340 USD in damages.
The plaintiffs alleged that North Korea and Iran provided weapons and military training to armed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, in connection with seven terrorist attacks in Iraq, Syria, Kenya, and Israel. VOA reported that the court recognized a legal causal relationship between this support and the damages suffered by the plaintiffs.
Following the ruling, the plaintiffs requested that the State Department deliver the judgment to North Korea. The State Department’s response has now confirmed the delivery of these documents to North Korea.
The Kimberlin case is a lawsuit filed against North Korea, Russia, and Iran related to the war in Ukraine. While the State Department acknowledged receiving documents for this case, it did not disclose whether they were sent to North Korea.
It is noteworthy that the process of delivering lawsuit documents to North Korea continues despite the lack of official diplomatic contact between the U.S. and North Korea. However, the exact nature and delivery method of these documents remain undisclosed.
VOA reported that, based on precedent, these documents were likely delivered through diplomatic channels via North Korea’s mission to the United Nations (UN) in New York.
Earlier this year in March, the State Department also delivered amended court rulings and default judgment notices regarding the abduction case of Pastor Kim Dong-sik to the North Korean mission through diplomatic channels.
The U.S. and North Korea lack diplomatic relations, and international mail services to North Korea are restricted, making conventional delivery of legal documents challenging. While documents were previously sent to North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs via DHL, recent court documents have confirmed that all transportation to North Korea has been indefinitely suspended, according to VOA.