North Korea said Thursday it would deploy stronger armed forces and new weapons to its border with the South, a day after Seoul suspended part of a 2018 military agreement between the two Koreas in protest over the launch of a spy satellite. by Pyongyang.
North Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement carried by the KCNA news agency that it would reinstate all military measures it had suspended under the agreement with South Korea, which was designed to reduce tension along its border. shared.
“From now on, our military will never be subject to the North-South Military Agreement of September 19,” the statement said. “We will withdraw military measures taken to prevent military tensions and conflicts in all spheres, including land, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military equipment to the region along the Military Demarcation Line.”
Tuesday’s satellite launch was the North’s third attempt this year after two failures and followed a rare trip by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Russia, during which President Vladimir Putin promised to help Pyongyang build satellites.
The Malligyong-1, a North Korean military spy satellite, is launched into orbit on Tuesday, November 21, 2023.AP
South Korean officials said the latest launch likely involved Russian technical assistance under a growing partnership that has seen Pyongyang supply Russia with millions of artillery shells.
Russia and North Korea have denied arms deals but have promised deeper cooperation, including on satellites.
South Korea on Wednesday suspended part of the inter-Korean agreement in response to Pyongyang’s launch and said it would immediately step up surveillance along the heavily fortified border with the North.
North Korea accused South Korea of scrapping the deal, known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), and said Seoul will be held “fully responsible in case an irreparable clash breaks out” between the two Koreas.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the launch of the new “Chollima-1” carrier rocket carrying the spy satellite. KCNA/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Visitors look at a map of the Imjingak Pavilion of the Demilitarized Zone in Paju, South Korea. AP
NORTH FIRE MISSILES
North Korea’s statement came hours after it fired a ballistic missile into the sea off its east coast late Wednesday. South Korea’s military said the launch appeared to have failed.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said South Korea’s decision to suspend part of the CMA was a “prudent and moderate response,” citing North Korea’s “noncompliance with the agreement.”
“The ROK’s suspension will restore surveillance and reconnaissance activities along the ROK side of the Military Demarcation Line, enhancing the ROK’s ability to monitor threats from the DPRK,” he said. the official, referring to South Korea and North Korea respectively by the initials of their official names.
South Korea on Wednesday resumed the use of manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft in the border area, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Kim Jong Un visits the Pyongyang General Control Center of the Korean National Aerospace Technology Directorate, a day after the launch of a reconnaissance satellite. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images Large screens are displayed at North Korea’s Pyongyang General Control Center a day after the nation launched a rocket carrying a “spy” satellite. KCNA VIA KNS/AFP via Getty Images
The suspended North-South pact was signed at a 2018 summit between Kim Jong Un and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in, one of the most concrete measures resulting from months of diplomacy that stalled in 2019.
Moon Chung-in, a Yonsei University professor who served as special adviser to President Moon during talks with Kim, said that although North Korea had not followed all elements of the agreement, the demise of the CMA could increase the risk of confrontation. Along the border.
“Accidental clashes can lead to full-blown conflict, including nuclear attacks,” he said. “We have every reason to try to reduce risk and tension and, instead, the South is going in the opposite direction.”
Critics have said the pact weakened Seoul’s ability to monitor North Korea and that Pyongyang had violated the agreement.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Wonsik speaks during a committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. Thursday. November 23, 2023.AP
“The CMA was a good agreement in theory, as risk reduction and confidence- and security-building measures are mutually beneficial by reducing the risk of tactical clashes and unintentional escalation,” said Bruce Klingner, former CIA analyst now working in the United States. -Heritage Foundation based on.
However, with new measures stalled, the move came at the cost of reducing allied military surveillance and training and did not reduce the North Korean military threat, he said.
Although publicly noncommittal, Washington had been privately urging Seoul to maintain the CMA, Klingner said.
The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson docks in a port in the port city of Busan, southeastern South Korea, on November 22, 2023. SONG KYUNG-SEOK/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
North Korea said Tuesday it has launched its first spy satellite into orbit, drawing international condemnation for violating U.N. resolutions banning its use of technology applicable to ballistic missile programs.
South Korea has said the North Korean satellite was believed to have entered orbit, but it would take time to assess whether it was operating normally.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn