South Korea suspends no surveillance clause of 2018 inter-Korean military agreement

The South Korean government on Wednesday suspended a provision that restricts surveillance on North Korea in the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement in response to North's latest launch of a military spy satellite.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and Cabinet members salute to the Korean flag at the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday morning at governmental complex in central Seoul. [YONHAP]

The South Korean government on Wednesday suspended a provision that restricts surveillance on North Korea in the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement in response to North's latest launch of a military spy satellite.

The decision to partially suspend the military accord was made in a Cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Wednesday morning. President Yoon Suk Yeol, on a state visit to Britain, approved the motion to restore reconnaissance and surveillance activities around the inter-Korean border.

The inter-Korean military accord signed on Sept. 19, 2018, aims to reduce hostile military activities between the two Koreas by setting up buffer zones.

"It is an act of direct aggression threatening Korea's security," Han said. "The launch of a military spy satellite also violated United Nations Security Council resolutions and went against multiple warnings coming from Korea and the global society."

The move comes after the North's third attempt to launch a reconnaissance satellite late Tuesday night, which Pyongyang said Wednesday ended in success.

"North Korea is clearly demonstrating that it has no will to abide by the Sept. 19 military agreement designed to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and to build trust," Han said in the meeting.

The effectiveness of Article 1, Clause 3 of the agreement will be suspended, allowing Seoul to immediately restore reconnaissance and surveillance operations against North Korea around the military demarcation line in the demilitarized zone.

"Our military's ability to identify threatening targets and its response posture will be greatly enhanced," Han said, adding that such a measure is vital for national security.

When the suspension is notified to the North, it will become legally effective. It does not require mutual recognition or approval.

North Korea launches a Chollima-1 rocket carrying its Malligyong-1 military reconnaissance satellite from the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in Tongchang-ri, North Pyongan Province, on Tuesday night. The photo was carried by Pyongyang's state-controlled Korean Central News Agency. [YONHAP]

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday announced at dawn the successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite, the Malligyong-1, mounted on a Chollima-1 rocket.

The announcement came three hours after the launch happened on Tuesday night at the Sohae satellite launching station in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province.

The KCNA said, "705 seconds after the launch, Chollima-1 rocket flew through the expected flight route and put the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 on the exact flight orbit."

It added that its National Aerospace Development Administration will submit plans to launch several more spy satellites in the near future at the upcoming plenary meeting of its ruling Workers' Party Central Committee.

North Korea previously failed to launch spy satellites in May and August.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, YONHAP [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]