Seoul
The South Korean government has approved the suspension of a detente agreement with North Korea, paving the way for the resumption of all military activities along the heavily fortified border. All friendly forces operations along the military demarcation line and in the northwestern islands, which were limited by the 2018 military agreement, will return to normal, Vice Defense Minister Cho Chang Rae said in Seoul on Tuesday. The Cabinet and President Yoon Suk Yeol had earlier approved a motion to temporarily suspend the agreement.
The background to the move is the increasing tensions on the Korean peninsula. South Korea recently warned North Korea of tough countermeasures after the isolated neighbor sent rows of balloons filled with trash across the border. The South Korean military also accused its neighbor of attempting to disrupt the GPS satellite navigation system in the border area. With the balloon campaigns, North Korea said it was responding to the frequent sending of propaganda leaflets across the border by South Korean organizations. On Sunday, North Korea announced its intention to halt the actions for the time being.
Cho did not provide details about planned military activities at the border. However, by suspending the agreement, which North Korea announced months ago, South Korea can once again hold military exercises targeting its neighbor near the border and, in theory, resume propaganda broadcasts. The agreement also provided for no-fly zones in the border area. In addition, naval maneuvers are no longer allowed in a buffer zone in the Yellow Sea.
In September 2018, both sides agreed on a series of measures to prevent incidents at the border. However, South Korea had already suspended parts of the agreement in November due to North Korea’s launch of a spy satellite. North Korea then announced that it no longer wished to adhere to the entire agreement.
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