South Korea approves suspension of inter-Korean military agreement

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
4 Jun 2024 10:19

The South Korean government has reportedly approved a decision to suspend a 2018 agreement aimed at easing tensions between the DPRK and South Korea.

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South Korean soldiers examine various objects including what appeared to be trash from a balloon believed to have been sent by DPRK, in Incheon, South Korea, on June 2, 2024. (Yonhap News Agency)

The South Korean government reportedly authorized a decision on Tuesday to halt a 2018 agreement aimed at reducing tensions between the DPRK and South Korea, according to the Yonhap News Agency.

The proposal was endorsed during a cabinet meeting, occurring a day after the presidential National Security Council's decision to suspend the agreement and include such a proposal on the meeting's agenda.

According to the report, the motion will be forwarded to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for his signature.

This comes after Pyongyang sent hundreds of trash-filled balloons across the border.

In November 2023, following the DPRK's launch of its Malligyong-1 reconnaissance satellite into orbit, South Korea partially suspended the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement.

In response, Pyongyang declared its intention to reinstate all military measures that had been suspended under the 2018 inter-Korean military accord.

DPRK to suspend sending trash balloons to South Korea

DPRK announced on Sunday that it would cease sending balloons carrying trash across the border to South Korea. However, it stated that it would resume this practice if anti-DPRK leaflets were flown over from the South again. According to a statement by DPRK's vice-minister of defense, Kim Kang Il, carried by the state media outlet KCNA, South Korea has experienced the unpleasantness and effort required to collect trash after the DPRK sent 15 tons of it using 3,500 balloons, in response to South Korea's "provocations".

It is worth noting that DPRK has stressed that its balloon launches are a response to a propaganda campaign conducted by DPRK defectors and activists based in South Korea. These activists frequently send inflatables containing various items such as anti-Pyongyang leaflets, food, medicine, money, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop music videos and dramas over the border.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have endured for an extended period as a result of systemic escalation on the part of Japan, the US, and South Korea.

The three nations have been conducting joint naval drills in the Korean peninsula and along the demilitarized zone, which has triggered major security concerns on the part of DPRK.