MADRID, November 22 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The South Korean government on Wednesday approved a proposal to partially suspend a 2018 inter-Korean agreement in response to North Korea’s latest military satellite launch.

South Korea’s Prime Minister, Han Duck Soo, had chaired an extraordinary cabinet meeting that approved the measure, which had been threatened by the South Korean Presidency in response to notification of the launch. The agreement will come into effect after being approved by the president, Yoon Suk Yeol, who is in the UK on a state visit.

“North Korea has clearly demonstrated that it has no desire to abide by military agreements designed to reduce military tensions on the Korean Peninsula and build confidence,” Han said at the meeting, according to Yonhap news agency.

It was explained that clauses in the first three articles of the agreement would be suspended, allowing Seoul to resume reconnaissance and surveillance operations against North Korea in the area around the military demarcation line separating the two countries, known as the Demilitarized Zone.

“Our Army’s ability to identify threatening targets and its response posture will improve greatly,” the South Korean head of government said, adding that these actions were “important” for national security.

The South Korean Armed Forces this Tuesday reported a new launch carried out at 22:43 (local time) and southward from North Korea’s northwestern coast. Later, the media assured that Pyongyang had declared success and succeeded in placing a satellite into orbit after two failed attempts in the previous months.

The South Korean presidency this Tuesday threatened to suspend a 2018 inter-Korean agreement, which would reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula, if the North Korean government goes ahead with its plans to launch a satellite.

The agreement, signed on September 19, 2018 under the administration of former President Moon Jae In, calls for cessation of all hostile military activities between the two Koreas, establishing a maritime security zone and converting the Demilitarized Zone into a peace zone, and many other things. .