United States - The U.S. State Department has expressed support for South Korea's decision to partially suspend the 2018 inter-Korean military tension reduction agreement, describing it as a "prudent" and "restrained" response to North Korea's repeated violations. The announcement was made following South Korea's suspension of part of the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) in response to North Korea's recent space rocket launch.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the CMA has helped reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but North Korea's non-compliance has posed significant security challenges for South Korea. The U.S. views South Korea's suspension of one provision of the CMA as a measured response to ongoing violations by North Korea.
The official also mentioned that the suspension would restore surveillance and reconnaissance activities along the South Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), enhancing South Korea's ability to monitor threats from North Korea. The United States emphasizes the importance of military coordination, transparency, and risk reduction measures to manage and reduce military tensions globally.
The decision to partially suspend the CMA came hours after North Korea's rocket launch. South Korea held an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to suspend the agreement and restore reconnaissance and surveillance activities near the border. President Yoon Suk Yeol approved the motion electronically during his state visit to Britain.
The CMA, signed on September 19, 2018, under the previous administration of President Moon Jae-in, aimed to halt all hostile military activity between the Koreas, establish maritime buffer zones, and turn the Demilitarized Zone into a peace zone, among other objectives.