S. Korea to resume border military activities

Jun 05, 2024, 09:42 am

AsiaToday reporter Lee Seok-jong

The South Korean military will resume artillery firing and other training exercises near the border with North Korea, following the government’s suspension of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. The marines stationed in the South Korean front-line islands of Yeonpyeong and Baengnyeong will also reume their K-9 self-propelled artillery drills. The South Korean military will also rearm soldiers in the Joint Security Area (JSA) at the truce village of Panmunjom.

The government held a Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duk-soo on Tuesday and approved the full suspension of the Sept. 19 military agreement with North Korea. President Yoon Suk-yeol then approved the proposal to suspend the agreement. The suspension took effect 3 p.m. Tuesday.

As a result, the military agreement for the implementation of the historic Panmunjom Declaration inked by then Defense Minister Song Young-moo and his North Korean counterpart No Kwang-chol at the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang on September 19, 2018, was virtually abolished after five years and nine months.

With the suspension, South Korea will be able to carry out drills to bolster front-line defenses, with respective units allowed to draw up training plans near the MDL and the border islands. The suspension will also allow South Korea to restart loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts toward the North.

Regarding the measure, Prime Minister Han Duk-soo said, “South Korea will be allowed to conduct military exercises near the MDL, which has been restricted, as well as more sufficient and immediate action against North Korean provocations. Han explained that the move will allow the South Korean military to normalize its military readiness. The Ministry of National Defense said, “We will restore all of our military activities within 5 kilometers of the MDL and in the northwestern islands, which has been restricted by the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement.”

#MDL #military agreement #South Korea #North Korea