SEOUL: North Korea has said that it would restore all military steps it had stopped under a 2018 agreement with South Korea designed to reduce tension along their common border, pledging to forward deploy stronger troops and new arms, western media reported on Wednesday.
The was stated by the North Korea’s ministry of defense and the statement comes a day following South Korea deferred part of the inter-Korean agreement in reply to Pyongyang’s launch of a satellite and said it would urgently step-up surveillance along the border with the North.
“Our troops will never be bound by North-South Military pact,” the statement said. “We will pull out the military steps, taken to halt tension and crisis in all spheres including air, sea, and ground, and also position more powerful forces and new-type hardware in the area.”
North Korea Scraps Defense Agreement with South Korea, Pledges to Deploy New Arms at Border
North Korea alleged South Korea of scrapping the agreement, known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement, and stated South Korea will be held “completely answerable in case an irretrievable clash breaks out” between the two sides.
North Korea’s announcement came hours following it fired a ballistic missile toward the sea east of the Korean peninsula on Wednesday. South Korea’s army claimed the launch seemed to have failed.
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In a statement, a US State Department spokesperson said South Korea’s decision to append part of the deal was a “practical and restrained reply,” citing Pyongyang’s “failure to adhere to the agreement.” The suspended North-South deal was inked in 2018 during a meeting between the then South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Critics have of the view that agreement weakened South Korea’s ability to monitor Pyongyang while North Korea had violated the deal.
