South Korea threatened to stop a deal with North Korea if serious security problems emerged, after Pyongyang said it planned to launch a satellite.
“According to the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act, any discussion between the two Koreas may be stopped partially or completely in case of serious reasons, including national security concerns,” a senior Blue House official spoke to the press in London, England, where Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol is on a four-day visit.
The official said South Korea can act according to the above provisions in the law. “It is unclear how North Korea will provoke. Based on the scale and form of the provocation, we will decide to take action with the September 19 agreement,” the official added, referring to the military agreement. inter-Korean year 2018.
The 2018 inter-Korean military agreement was signed at the third summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-South Korean president Moon Jae-in, who wanted to reconcile the two Koreas. The agreement established a buffer zone on land and sea, where artillery and naval exercises were suspended. No notable incidents occurred between the two sides after signing the agreement.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik in early October also wanted to suspend the agreement so Seoul could increase surveillance of Pyongyang.
Kang Ho-pil, Chief of Operations of the Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke at a press conference in Seoul on November 20. Image: AFP
The warning came after Japan today said North Korea had announced that it could launch a reconnaissance satellite between November 22 and December 11. This will be North Korea’s third attempt this year, after two failed attempts to put a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit in May and August.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he had directed ministries and agencies to collect information and coordinate with relevant countries to request the cancellation of the launch and prepare for unforeseeable situations.
Experts say successfully placing the reconnaissance satellite into orbit will improve North Korea’s ability to gather intelligence information, especially information related to South Korea, and provide important data in any any military conflict.
Like Tam (According to Yonhap, Reuters)
Tags: South Korea threatened stop bilateral agreement North Korea launched satellite
