“From now on, our army will never be bound by the September 19 North-South Military Agreement,” the statement said.
“We will withdraw the military steps, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line.”
Why China’s ties with Russia, North Korea ‘will not serve Beijing’s interests’
Why China’s ties with Russia, North Korea ‘will not serve Beijing’s interests’
North Korea’s statement came hours after it fired a ballistic missile toward the sea east of the Korean peninsula late on Wednesday. South Korea’s military said the launch appeared to have failed.
A US Department of State spokesperson said South Korea’s decision to suspend part of the agreement was a “prudent and restrained response,” citing North Korea’s “failure to adhere to the agreement.”
“The ROK suspension will restore surveillance and reconnaissance activities along the ROK side of the Military Demarcation Line, improving the ROK’s ability to monitor DPRK threats,” the official said, referring to South Korea and North Korea respectively by the initials of their official names.
South Korea resumed the use of crewed and uncrewed reconnaissance aircraft in the border area on Wednesday, and was conducting surveillance, Yonhap news agency reported.
Critics have said the pact weakened Seoul’s ability to monitor North Korea while Pyongyang had violated the agreement.
North Korea said on Tuesday it placed its first spy satellite in orbit, drawing international condemnation for violating UN resolutions that bar its use of technology applicable to ballistic missile programmes.
South Korea has said the North Korean satellite was believed to have entered orbit, but it would take time to assess whether the satellite was operating normally.
Asia’s space race: Korean rivalry, US alliance take geopolitics into orbit
Asia’s space race: Korean rivalry, US alliance take geopolitics into orbit
Tuesday’s launch was the North’s third this year after two previous attempts failed, and followed Kim’s visit to Russia, during which President Vladimir Putin promised to help the North build satellites.
Russia provided North Korea with assistance to launch its spy satellite, South Korean lawmakers said on Thursday, citing the country’s intelligence agency.
North Korea had sent data on launch vehicles used in two failed previous satellite launches, and Russia offered its analysis of the data, Yoo Sang-bum, a member of the parliamentary intelligence committee, told reporters after a briefing by the spy agency.