North Korea cancels military agreement with South Korea
(Baonghean.vn) - On November 23, North Korea announced that it would restore all military measures that had been suspended under a 2018 agreement with South Korea to reduce tensions along their shared border. At the same time, Pyongyang said it would continue to deploy stronger armed forces and new weapons.
The announcement by North Korea's Defense Ministry came a day after South Korea partially suspended an inter-Korean agreement in response to Pyongyang's launch of a spy satellite and said it would immediately step up surveillance along the border with North Korea.
“From now on, our military will never again be bound by the September 19 North-South Military Agreement,” the statement said.
“We will withdraw military steps taken to prevent military tensions and conflicts in all domains including land, sea and air, and deploy stronger armed forces and new types of military equipment in the area along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).”
North Korea accused South Korea of scrapping a document called the Comprehensive Military Agreement, and said Seoul would "take full responsibility in case of an irreparable clash" between the two Koreas.
North Korea's statement came hours after the country launched a ballistic missile into waters east of the Korean peninsula late on November 22. The South Korean military said the launch appeared to have failed.
A US State Department spokesman said South Korea's decision to partially suspend the agreement was a "prudent and restrained response", citing North Korea's "non-compliance".
“South Korea’s suspension will restore surveillance and reconnaissance activities along the Military Demarcation Line on the South Korean side, improving South Korea’s ability to monitor threats from North Korea,” the official said.
The recently suspended North-South Korea pact was signed at the 2018 summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Critics say the pact has weakened Seoul's ability to monitor North Korea while Pyongyang has violated the agreement.
North Korea said on November 21 that it had launched its first spy satellite into orbit, drawing international condemnation for violating United Nations resolutions banning North Korea from using technology applied to ballistic missile programs.
South Korea said the North Korean satellite is believed to have entered orbit but it will take time to assess whether it is functioning normally.
The launch on November 21 was North Korea's third this year after two previous attempts failed and came after Mr. Kim's visit to Russia, during which President Vladimir Putin promised to help North Korea build satellites.
South Korean officials said the North Korean missile launch was likely linked to Russian technical assistance as part of a growing partnership that has seen Pyongyang supply Russia with millions of artillery shells.
Russia and North Korea deny arms deals but promise deeper cooperation.
