North Korea said it will resume "all military measures" postponed under a 2018 inter-Korean agreement after South Korea terminated a component of the agreement in reaction to the North's spy satellite launch on Nov. 21.
On November 23, North Korea's defense ministry declared it would no longer "be bound" by the 2018 military agreement with South Korea, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The ministry warned that South Korea "must pay dearly" for increasing military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to "an uncontrollable phase."
“We will withdraw the military steps taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres, including ground, sea, and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the military demarcation line,” it stated.
Former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed the military agreement in 2018 to halt hostilities between their countries.
If the agreement is terminated, live-fire drills in the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas may resume.
After North Korea disobeyed instructions not to launch a spy satellite, South Korea terminated a portion of the agreement that limited its reconnaissance and surveillance operations along the demarcation line.
Shin Won-sik, South Korea's defense secretary, described the move as "a corresponding response to North Korea's provocation," adding that South Korea had merely taken "a minimal defensive measure."
Mr. Shin claimed that North Korea's space rocket launch indicated that the dictatorship "has no will to abide by the military agreement," according to Yonhap News Agency.
“Therefore, the partial suspension of the agreement is an essential measure to protect people’s lives and safety,” he remarked.
The Malligyong-1 spy satellite was put into orbit on November 21. Pyongyang stated that the space rocket launch was successful and that it had acquired photographs of important US military locations in Guam.
This was North Korea's third launch attempt, following two unsuccessful attempts on May 31 and August 24.
The missile fragmented into parts, one of which fell in the Pacific Ocean approximately 746 miles southwest of Japan's Okinotori Island, according to Japan's military ministry.
Another fragment of the projectile landed in the East China Sea, some 217 miles east of the Korean Peninsula.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea stated that North Korea's spy satellite had entered orbit, but that further investigation and time were required to verify whether the satellite was working correctly.
North Korea's Space Launch Is Condemned by the G7
On November 22, the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the High Representative of the European Union released a joint statement condemning North Korea's space launch "in the strongest terms."
They said the launch constituted a "grave threat" to the area and beyond, as well as a violation of UN Security Council Resolutions barring North Korea from launching any ballistic missile technology.
“North Korea cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear-weapon State under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,” the statement reads.
The G7 foreign ministers demanded a "swift, united, and robust international response" to North Korea's space launch and encouraged the country to resume negotiations.
“We continue to call on North Korea to engage in meaningful diplomacy and accept the repeated offers of dialogue put forward by Japan, the United States, and the Republic of Korea without preconditions.”
President Joe Biden and his national security staff are monitoring the situation in close consultation with US friends and partners, according to National Security Council spokesman Adrienne Watson on Nov. 21.
The US encouraged all countries to denounce North Korea's unlawful space launch and urged Pyongyang to return to "serious negotiations," Ms. Watson said in a statement.
“The door has not closed on diplomacy, but Pyongyang must immediately cease its provocative actions and instead choose engagement,” the spokesperson stated.
“The United States will take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the American homeland and the defense of our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies,” she added.
Since 2022, North Korea has conducted a succession of missile tests, some of which involved nuclear-armed missiles capable of striking the United States.
