Seoul - North Korea issued a stern warning on Sunday, stating that a "physical clash and war" on the Korean Peninsula has become a matter of time, following the dissolution of the inter-Korean military tension reduction accord. The warning includes a threat of "total collapse" for South Korea in case of any hostile action.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a North Korean military commentator accused South Korea of nullifying the 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement, which aimed to reduce military tensions along the border. The North claims the South's suspension of parts of the deal in response to North Korea's launch of a military spy satellite has heightened military confrontation.
North Korea effectively abandoned the agreement last month, restoring guard posts and rearming the border with heavy firearms. "The extreme military confrontation...has been created again on the Korean peninsula," the North Korean commentator stated.
The 2018 agreement was described as a crucial mechanism for preventing accidental military conflicts in a region of high military density and tension. The commentator emphasized that the situation has escalated to a level where physical conflict and war are now imminent, not just possible.
The commentator also defended North Korea's satellite launch as a legitimate right of a sovereign state and criticized South Korea's suspension of the deal in response. The article highlighted the double standards, citing South Korea's recent launch of its first indigenous military spy satellite.
In response, Seoul's foreign ministry reiterated that North Korea's missile launches using ballistic technology are violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions. The ministry condemned North Korea's provocations and claimed its satellite launch was in accordance with international law, posing no threat to international peace and security. The South Korean official urged North Korea to cease provocations and return to denuclearization talks.