Brian McDonald
Seoul, South Korea — South Korea took steps on Tuesday to suspend a controversial military agreement with North Korea and resume frontline military activities, such as tension between rivals increases over recent launching balloons to carry trash. North Korea did not immediately respond, but the resumption of firing exercises or propaganda broadcasts over South Korean loudspeakers is likely to prompt North Korea to take similar or stronger measures along its rivals’ heavily militarized border.
Last week, North Korea used balloons to drop dung, cigarette butts, pieces of cloth and paper onto South Korea, prompting Seoul to promise “unbearable” retaliation. Asked about it on Monday during a regular press briefing in Washington, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller called it a “pretty disgusting tactic.”
North Korea said it would halt its balloon campaign on Sunday.
YONHAP/Reuters
On Tuesday, South Korea’s Cabinet Council and President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a proposal to suspend the 2018 inter-Korean agreement on reducing frontline military tension. It will come into force as soon as Seoul formally notifies the North.
Cho Chang-rae, South Korea’s vice defense minister for policy, told reporters that South Korea will use all available measures to protect the public from North Korean provocations.
“Responsibility for this situation rests solely with North Korea. If North Korea launches additional provocations, our military, in conjunction with the solid South Korea-U.S. defense posture, will punish North Korea quickly, heavily and until the end,” said Cho. .
Ahn Young-joon/AP
The military agreement – reached during a short era of reconciliation between the Koreas – required the two countries to cease all hostile acts in the border areas, such as live-fire exercises, aerial exercises and psychological warfare.
During the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, South Korea’s No. 2 official, said the 2018 deal weakened South Korean military readiness at a time when the North’s provocations pose real threats to the public. Han cited North Korea’s balloon campaign, testing nuclear-capable weapons targeting South Korea and alleged jamming of GPS navigation signals in the South.
South Korean officials have said suspending the 2018 deal would allow front-line military exercises, but have not publicly elaborated on other measures. Observers say South Korea was considering restarting propaganda broadcasts over front-line loudspeakers, a Cold War-style psychological campaign that experts say has hurt tightly controlled North Korea, whose 26 million of inhabitants, for the most part, do not have access to foreign news.
The 2018 agreement was already in limbo after the two Koreas took some steps to violate it amid tensions over North Korea’s spy satellite launch last November.
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