Will the ”North-South Military Agreement” signed by South Korea and North Korea in September 2018 be suspended?

According to South Korean media reports, at the Regular Security Consultations (SCM) held by the US and South Korea at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul on the 13th, the inter-Korean military agreement concluded between South Korea and North Korea in 2018 was announced.
It is expected that there will be discussions regarding the suspension of the agreement. According to Yonhap News, a senior South Korean Ministry of National Defense official said on the 11th, ``In the process of the South Korean and US defense secretaries discussing pending issues in the South Korea-US alliance, it was natural that a military agreement would be reached.
I think we will exchange opinions no matter what." The agreement, known as the "9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement," was signed in September 2018 between then-President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jung Eun.
This is an attached agreement to the Pyongyang Joint Declaration signed by Kim Jong Un. It is an agreement between the two Koreas to make efforts to ease military tensions, and the two Koreas agree to refrain from all hostilities on the ground, sea, and air.
Therefore, it was decided to take measures to transform the demilitarized zone (DMZ) into a peace zone. Specifically, the establishment of a no-fly zone over the Military Demarcation Line, the removal of observation posts within the DMZ, and the northern limits of the Yellow Sea.
The plan includes converting the area near the National Line (NLL) into a ``peaceful zone,'' establishing a zone, and allowing tourists to freely move around within the Panmunjom Joint Security Area (JSA).
Among the items originally included in the agreement were the trial removal of guard posts (GPs) in the DMZ and the
A joint survey at the mouth of the Han River and excavation work for the remains of soldiers who died in the Korean War were carried out. However, the US-North Korea summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019 ended in failure.
As a result, inter-Korean relations cooled down again, and implementation of the agreement came to a halt. Experts say that after the agreement was signed, it had the effect of significantly reducing the possibility of accidental collisions in the north-south border area.
It has been pointed out that the significance of the agreement has faded, as GPs that were once removed on a trial basis have been reinstalled. However, in September last year, former President Moon, who had pursued a policy of reconciliation with North Korea, said, ``We have a history of conflict and hostility.''
With the intention of ending history, he signaled the ``beginning of a war-free Korean Peninsula'' both at home and abroad. Looking back on the time when the agreement was signed, he said, ``We agreed on practical measures to dramatically lower military risks.''
It is of great significance that we have clearly demonstrated our intention both at home and abroad to make the Korean Peninsula a ``land of peace, free from nuclear weapons and nuclear threats.''
However, North Korea continues to act in violation of the agreement. The agreement states that land, sea and air
In order to stop hostilities in the area, drone flights are prohibited within 10 kilometers of the North-South Military Demarcation Line in the western region and 15 kilometers in the eastern region. However, in December last year, North Korea released five military drones.
It crossed the border and entered the airspace in northwestern South Korea. The first aircraft to be seen briefly approached the northern part of the Seoul metropolitan area and returned to North Korea about three hours after infringing on its airspace. The remaining four aircraft are located in the northwestern region.
It was shown to be active in the vicinity of Ganghwa-do, but it has since disappeared. South Korea's military criticized the attack at the time, calling it a "clear provocation."
Regarding the inter-Korean military agreement, Shin Won-sik, who took office as the Minister of Defense last month, said, ``I want it to take effect as soon as possible.''
We will push for a halt." Mr. Singh has been critical of the military agreement since he was a candidate for defense minister and has called for it to be scrapped. On the other hand, the main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Japan, says the agreement should be maintained.
. At the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee held last month, Park Byung-seok, a lawmaker from the same party, said, ``Since the agreement, the risk of an accidental conflict between the two Koreas in the border area has decreased. of
It's a firewall that prevents fires." ``If South Korea mentions breaking the agreement in the absence of any obvious serious provocation, it could give North Korea an excuse to provoke it,'' he said, expressing concern.
The United States and South Korea will hold a regular security consultation (SCM) today, the 13th, and the SCM is expected to take up the issue of suspending the validity of the inter-Korean military agreement.
. Yonhap News reported, ``At this SCM, Mr. Shin (Ministry of Defense) is expected to explain to US Secretary of Defense Austin the necessity of suspending the military agreement, and Mr. Austin will express his support.
"It's going to attract a lot of attention." Meanwhile, according to Yonhap, there are differences of opinion within the government regarding the suspension of the military agreement. Although many believe that it should be stopped immediately, South Korea unilaterally
Some say that declaring the suspension of validity has a large political and diplomatic impact, and that careful consideration should be given. Yonhap said, ``Inside and outside the government, North Korea has announced plans to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and conduct reconnaissance satellites.
There is a view that the procedure to declare the suspension of validity will begin after a serious provocation such as a wrap-up party occurs."