Cracks in military agreement between South and North Korea, concerns of inter-Korean conflict near the military demarcation line

In response to North Korea's military reconnaissance satellite wrap-up party on the 21st of this month, the South Korean government on the 22nd partially suspended the validity of the inter-Korean military agreement as a countermeasure. hand
announced that it would immediately reinstate military measures near the Military Demarcation Line. North Korea's Ministry of Defense has asserted that if a military conflict occurs in the future, ``the Republic of Korea will bear full responsibility.''
ing. The Hankyoreh, a South Korean newspaper, reported, ``The September 19 Military Agreement, which was said to be a ``safety valve'' for inter-Korean relations and peace on the Korean Peninsula, has become virtually inoperable in five years.''
At 10:42 p.m. (Japan time) on the 21st, North Korea launched a new carrier rocket, Cheonlima-1, carrying the military reconnaissance satellite, Manlikyo-1, from the Seohae Satellite Launching Site in Dongchang-ri in the northwest.
It was a wrap-up party. After failures in May and August, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 22nd that the third wrap-up party was a success, saying that the satellite had "accurately entered the Earth's orbit."
"I let him do it," he claimed. The wrap-up party was reportedly attended by Kim Jung Eun, and the news agency reported that Kim ``enthusiastically congratulated'' those involved.
In response to the wrap-up party, the South Korean government held an extraordinary cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Deok-soo on the 22nd to review the effectiveness of the inter-Korean military agreement signed with North Korea in 2018.
Decided to stop some. South Korea will resume reconnaissance and surveillance activities against North Korea along the Military Demarcation Line, which had been restricted by this agreement. Regarding the suspension of effectiveness, Prime Minister Han said, ``Our country
"These are absolutely necessary measures for the national security of Japan, minimum defensive measures, and extremely legitimate measures based on our laws." This agreement, known as the "9.19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement," was signed in September 2018 at the time.
This is an annex to the Pyongyang Joint Declaration signed by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean General Secretary Kim Jung Eun. North and South agree to make efforts to ease military tensions
The two Koreas agreed to cease all hostilities on the ground, sea, and air, and to take measures to transform the demilitarized zone (DMZ) into a peace zone. Specifically, flying over the military demarcation line.
Establishment of a prohibited zone, removal of observation posts within the DMZ, conversion and delimitation of the area around the Yellow Sea's Northern Limit Line (NLL) to a "peace zone," and restrictions on tourists within the Panmunjom Joint Security Area (JSA). Free passage
etc. were included. Among the items originally included in the agreement were the trial demolition of guard posts (GPs) in the DMZ, a joint investigation at the mouth of the Hangang River, which runs between the north and south, and the implementation of a joint survey of people killed in the Korean War.
Work was carried out to excavate the remains of the soldiers. However, after the US-North Korea summit held in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2019 ended in failure, inter-Korean relations cooled down again, and implementation of the agreement slowed.
Top. 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.
However, it was pointed out that the significance of the agreement had faded. South Korean President Yoon Seo-gyul has long expressed the intention of suspending the agreement if serious circumstances arise.
Shin Won-sik, who took office as South Korea's Minister of Defense last month, also said that he would "promote the termination of the agreement as soon as possible." This time, the South Korean government announced that North Korea was attacking military reconnaissance satellites.
As a countermeasure against the above-mentioned incidents, the agreement has suspended the effect of establishing no-fly zones. In response, North Korea also declared its ``abandonment'' of the agreement. North Korea's Ministry of Defense announced on the 23rd that
The party issued a statement through the party's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun and other outlets, announcing that it would ``immediately reinstate all military measures that were suspended as per the agreement.'' More powerful forces and new models in the military demarcation line area
He also threatened that South Korea would be responsible if a military conflict occurs between the two Koreas. The Hankyoreh, a Korean newspaper, commented on inter-Korean relations, ``An accidental military conflict along the military demarcation line.''
We are now forced into a situation where we cannot eliminate the risk of the situation spreading further."