South Korea suspends part of military agreement with North after Pyongyang launches spy satellite
Kyiv • UNN
South Korea suspends part of 2018 military treaty with North Korea, stepping up surveillance over Pyongyang's spy satellite launch
South Korea on Wednesday suspended part of a 2018 military agreement with North Korea after Pyongyang ignored U.S. warnings and drew Western condemnation by launching a spy satellite, UNN reports citing Reuters.
Details
Suspension of one of the agreement's provisions will lead to South Korea stepping up military surveillance along its heavily fortified border with North Korea.
Pyongyang said it had launched its first spy satellite into orbit on Tuesday. Photos published in state media showed DPRK leader Kim Jong-un watching the rocket launch from a base.
Later, Kim was briefed on the satellite's operation at the space agency's control center in Pyongyang and viewed images taken over the US Pacific territory of Guam depicting US military installations, including the Andersen Air Force Base, North Korea's state-run KCNA news agency reported.
After launching a satellite, North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile toward the sea east of the Korean Peninsula late Wednesday night, but it appeared to have failed, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing the South Korean military.
The G7 foreign ministers condemned the satellite launch and called for a "swift, united and decisive" international response, especially from the UN Security Council.
The G7 statement reiterated its condemnation of North Korea's alleged arms transfers to Russia and expressed deep concern about the possibility of any transfer of nuclear or ballistic missile-related technology to North Korea.
US attempts to strengthen UN sanctions against North Korea in recent years have failed due to opposition from China and Russia, which have veto power, the newspaper reports.
KCNA reported that Kim emphasized the need to increase the number of reconnaissance satellites in various orbits to provide his armed forces with "extensive valuable information about the enemy in real time and further strengthen their response capability."
The satellite will begin its reconnaissance mission on December 1 after adjustment, KCNA reported.
South Korea's military said it thinks the satellite has entered orbit, but it will take time to assess whether it is working properly. The Pentagon said that the US military was assessing whether the launch was successful.
The launch came a little more than a week before South Korea plans to send its first spy satellite into space on a rocket operated by the US company SpaceX.
In response to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, the US nuclear-powered submarine USS Santa Fe docked in a South Korean port on Wednesday, a day after the arrival of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, North Korea's closest ally, called on all parties to ensure peace and stability.
Addendum
The agreement between South Korea and the DPRK, part of which has been suspended, is known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement and is aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two and was signed at a 2018 summit between Kim and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Critics said the pact weakened Seoul's ability to control North Korea, while Pyongyang violated the agreement.
