South Korea suspending military deal with North Korea after trash balloon barrage

South Korea on Tuesday took steps to suspend a military agreement with North Korea following the North’s recent launch of trash-carrying balloons.

South Korea’s Cabinet Council and President Yoon Suk Yeol approved a proposal to suspend the 2018 inter-Korean agreement, initially created to lower frontline military tensions and cease all hostile acts at border areas.

A suspension of the deal will formally take effect once Seoul notifies the North.

While North Korea did not immediately respond, it is thought that loudspeaker broadcasts of the meeting are likely to prompt similar or stronger provocations.

South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo admitted that the deal has limited South Korea’s military readiness - especially as the country is already faced with issues including the alleged jamming of GPS navigation signals in the South, but also the North’s balloon campaign.

On Sunday, North Korea claimed it would “halt” the campaign, which involved landing balloons into South Korea. They had been used to drop manure, cigarette butts, scraps of cloth and waste paper into various parts of the South.

Between Saturday and Sunday, over 600 balloons were found.

Some even contained plastic bottles, batteries, and abandoned shoe parts, according to a military official.

South Korea’s deputy defense minister for policy, Cho Chang-rae assured during the broadcast that all available measures would be taken to protect the public against further North Korean provocations.

He said: “The responsibility for this situation lies solely with North Korea. If North Korea launches additional provocations, our military, in conjunction with the solid the South Korea-U.S. defense posture, will punish North Korea swiftly, strongly and to the end.”

South Korean officials posited the suspension of the 2018 deal would allow it to stage frontline military drills but did not publicly elaborate on other steps.