South Korea intends to halt a military accord with North Korea.
Due to the rising animosity with North Korea, South Korea is set to scrap a military deal they made in 2018 concerning trust-building measures. The National Security Council announced this outcome after a meeting, stating the need for the agreement to be put on hold "until the faith between the Korean states is redrawn," according to the office of the conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol. The proposal will be presented to the cabinet on Tuesday.
The scrapping of this pact, which North Korea has already withdrawn from in November, is believed to allow military operations near the military demarcation line. These drills near the border were previously restricted thanks to the agreements signed.
Back in September 2018, both Korea signed a host of measures during a period of reconciliation to avoid conflicts at the heavily armed frontier. However, South Korea dropped the agreement partially due to North Korea's launch of a spy satellite. In response, North Korea ceased to follow the whole agreement.
The Security Council's decision came after a warning from South Korea to North Korea on Sunday, following another round of balloons littered with garbage flying over the border once more. South Korea's military also claimed North Korea was continually disrupting the GPS navigation system in the border area.
North Korea, for its part, responded to the balloon activity with an announcement on Sunday that it would temporarily interruption these actions. In its own words, North Korea reacted to the constant sending of propaganda leaflets from South Korean groups over the border.
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The National Security Council of South Korea mentioned the need to postpone the military agreement with North Korea until trust between the two nations is reestablished, implying approval from the Security Council. Due to South Korea's decision, potential military exercises near the border could resume, as previous agreements signed in 2018 had restricted such activities.
