South Korea urges North to observe all existing agreements - Government
Jun 14, 2020
Seol (South Korea), June 14 (Sputnik/ANI): The South Korean government is cautious about the current estrangement in relations with North Korea and urges the counterparts to adhere to all existing bilateral agreements, according to a statement issued following the South Korean National Security Council meeting on Sunday.
The meeting was attended by the ministers of foreign affairs, defense and unification, as well as by Intelligence Chief Suh Hoon.
"The government realizes how serious the situation is. South and North should try to observe all existing inter-Korean agreements," the statement read.
The ministry of defense, in turn, said that the South Korean army was "closely monitoring all of North's actions" and maintained response capacity, but in order for peace to be preserved in the Korean peninsula, "it is essential to implement the inter-Korean military agreement" of September 19, 2018.
Relations between the Asian neighbours soured earlier this week as North Korea threatened state-level action is Seoul fails to curb the campaign of South-based defectors of flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets on balloons across the border. The sister of Kim Jong Un, Kim Yo Jong, said the counteraction would include demolishing the inactive South Korean industrial compound in Kaesong, shutting down the joint communications office, and withdrawing from the bilateral military agreements.
On June 9, the North-run Korean Central News Agency said that all communication channels with South had been completely cut, including military channels and the highest-level channel between the heads of state. According to the South Korean Defense Ministry, their counterparts from North have stopped responding to military communications. (Sputnik/ANI)
