North Korea ends pact with South, will restore 'all military measures' at border

North Korea ends pact with South, will restore 'all military measures' at border
by Thomas Maresca
Washington DC (UPI) Nov 23, 2023

North Korea said Thursday that it was completely withdrawing from an inter-Korean agreement and would restore "all military measures" in the border area one day after Seoul scrapped part of the deal in response to Pyongyang's satellite launch.

The North will "never be bound" by the 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement, its Defense Ministry said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The pact was signed during a period of detente under the previous administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in. It aimed at lowering tensions between the two Koreas by establishing a no-fly zone and prohibiting military drills near the border, among other provisions.

"We will immediately restore all military measures that have been halted according to the [N]orth-[S]outh military agreement," the statement said.

The North will "deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line," the ministry added.

The move came in response to South Korea's partial suspension of the agreement after the North launched a military spy satellite into orbit late Tuesday night. The South restored aerial surveillance and reconnaissance activities in the border area between the two Koreas on Wednesday afternoon, a military spokesperson confirmed at a press briefing.

Adding to the rising tension in the region, North Korea fired an unspecified ballistic missile toward the East Sea late Wednesday night. However, the launch appeared to fail, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a message to reporters.

In its statement, North Korea justified the satellite launch as part of its right to self-defense and called the South's partial suspension of the military agreement a "vivid expression of their hostility."

"Those of the 'ROK' will be held wholly accountable in case an irretrievable clash breaks out between the [N]orth and the [S]outh," the statement said, using the official acronym for South Korea.

The launch marked the North's third attempt this year at placing a satellite into orbit and came amid growing international concern over Pyongyang's military relationship with Russia.

Washington and Seoul say that Pyongyang is shipping artillery and equipment to Russia for its war in Ukraine, while the North is believed to be receiving advanced technology for its space and missile programs in return.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday that the satellite appeared to successfully enter into orbit, but it remains unclear whether its surveillance capabilities are operational.

"Determining whether the satellite is working normally will take time as additional analysis is required under coordination between South Korea and the United States and relevant agencies," the JCS said in a text message sent to reporters.