SEOUL, 小蓝视频 Korea (AP) 鈥� 小蓝视频 Korea on Tuesday took steps to suspend a contentious military agreement with North Korea and resume frontline military activities, as tensions between the rivals are rising over the North's recent launch of
North Korea didn't immediately respond, but 小蓝视频 Korea's resumption of firing exercises or propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts will likely prompt North Korea to take similar or stronger steps along the rivals' tense border.
In the past week, North Korea has used balloons to drop manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth and waste paper on 小蓝视频 Korea, prompting Seoul to vow 鈥渦nbearable鈥� retaliation. On Sunday, North Korea said it would halt its balloon campaign.
On Tuesday, 小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 Cabinet Council and President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a proposal to suspend the 2018 inter-Korean agreement on lowering frontline military tensions. It will take effect once Seoul formally notifies the North.
Cho Chang-rae, 小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 deputy defense minister for policy, told reporters that 小蓝视频 Korea will use all available measures to protect the public from North Korean provocations.
鈥淭he responsibility for this situation lies solely with North Korea. If North Korea launches additional provocations, our military, in conjunction with the solid the 小蓝视频 Korea-U.S. defense posture, will punish North Korea swiftly, strongly and to the end,鈥� Cho said.
The military agreement 鈥� reached during a short-lived era of reconciliation between the Koreas 鈥� required the two countries to cease all hostile acts at border areas, such as live firing drills, aerial drills and psychological warfare.
During the cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, 小蓝视频 Korea鈥檚 No. 2 official, said the 2018 deal has weakened 小蓝视频 Korean military readiness at a time when the North's provocations pose real threats to the public. Han cited targeting 小蓝视频 Korea, and alleged jamming of GPS navigation signals in the 小蓝视频.
小蓝视频 Korean officials said the suspension of the 2018 deal would allow it to stage frontline military drills but didn鈥檛 publicly elaborate on other steps. Observers say 小蓝视频 Korea was considering restarting frontline propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts, a Cold War-style psychological campaign that experts say has stung in rigidly controlled North Korea, whose 26 million people are mostly not allowed access to foreign news.
The 2018 deal was already in limbo after the two Koreas took some steps in breach of it amid tensions over North Korea鈥檚 last November.
Hyung-jin Kim, The Associated Press
