South Korea is planning to suspend its military agreement with North Korea due to Pyongyang’s recent campaign to send balloons carrying trash to its southern neighbor.
The country’s Cabinet Council gave the green light to a proposal to annex the entirety of the 2018 agreement between the two countries on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. The suspension will officially occur after South Korea sends a formal notification.
“The responsibility for this situation rests solely with North Korea,” said Cho Chang-rae, South Korea’s vice defense minister for policy, according to the AP. “If North Korea launches additional provocations, our military, in conjunction with the South’s solid military, Korea-US defense posture will punish North Korea quickly, hard and to the end.”
The pending end to the 2018 agreement, which required both nations to suspend all aggressive border movements, comes after North Korea sent balloons filled with trash and excrement to South Korea last week. The balloons carried waste paper for cigarette butts.
South Korea’s military said it found more than 700 balloons late last week, after tracking another 260 earlier in the week.
North Korea said on Sunday it would stop sending balloons after Seoul said it would have an “unbearable” response to Pyongyang’s campaign.
Kim Kang II, North Korea’s vice defense minister, said his country was sending balloons in response to the South’s alleged leafleting campaign, which included sending messages critical of the country’s leadership.
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