South Korea: South Korea will suspend a 2018 military agreement with North Korea after a series of balloon attacks carrying trash across the border.
At a meeting on Tuesday, the cabinet will be presented with a plan to approve a complete suspension of the accord, the South Korean National Security Council announced on Monday. Last year, there was a partial freeze on the important military accord.
According to the council, there would be “considerable problems in our military’s readiness posture” if the agreement was kept in place. It further stated that if the agreement is suspended, the nation will be able to train close to the military border and take “immediate measures” if needed.
The agreement was partially halted by Seoul last year after North Korea sent a spy satellite into orbit. It was the most significant agreement to emerge from months of historic meetings between the two Koreas during a warming in relations during the presidency of Moon Jae-in in the South.
Following the South’s suspension, Pyongyang declared it would no longer adhere to the accord. The deal has been fully suspended as a result of a string of tit-for-tat balloon “attacks” across the tightly guarded border, which is further worsening relations.
Since last week, North Korea has been sending hundreds of balloons filled with trash and animal feces to South Korea, calling them “gifts of sincerity.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, who has emerged as a key spokesperson for Pyongyang, criticized South Korea for protesting over the balloons this week. North Koreans were only expressing their freedom of expression, she stated.
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