South Korea suspends military treaty with DPRK over spy satellite launch
South Korea withdrew from the military treaty with the DPRK (Photo: GettyImages)
South Korea suspended the implementation of part of the 2018 military agreement with the DPRK. In response, North Korea announced that it would send additional forces to the border between the countries, according to Reuters.
The pact between the countries, known as the Comprehensive Military Agreement, aimed at de-escalating tensions between them, was signed at the 2018 summit. However, North Korea (DPRK) violated the agreement, which led South Korea to announce that it would increase surveillance on the border.
In response, the North Korean Defense Ministry said it would resume all military activities that it had suspended under the agreement.
The DPRK declared its intention to deploy strengthened armed forces and new military equipment near the demarcation line. Full responsibility for any irreversible clash between North and South Korea was attributed to South Korea, as per the statement.
DPRK's attempts to launch a spy satellite into orbit
At the end of May this year, the DPRK tried to launch a "spy satellite" Malligyong-1 into orbit, but the launch vehicle lost its train and fell into the Yellow Sea.
Later, on June 16, South Korea recovered several parts of the rocket and satellite from the seabed. After analyzing the found parts, experts said that the "satellite" was not useful as a reconnaissance satellite at all.
The DPRK made a second attempt to launch the satellite on August 23. Tokyo said that Pyongyang used banned ballistic missile technology and that the projectile flew through the airspace near Okinawa.
And on November 22, North Korea announced the successful launch of a ballistic missile with a spy satellite on board.
