N. Korea condemns S. Korea over suspension of military accord

▲ North Korean soldiers are spotted painting a guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas on Nov. 24, 2023, as part of an apparent move to restore guard posts destroyed following a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, in this photo provided by the South Korean defense ministry on Nov. 27. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

N Korea-S Korea-military accord

N. Korea condemns S. Korea over suspension of military accord

SEOUL, Nov. 30 (Yonhap) -- North Korea denounced South Korea on Thursday over the partial suspension of a 2018 military tension-reduction agreement, saying Seoul has "pulled the last remaining safety pin with its own hands."

The criticism came as Seoul partially suspended part of the Comprehensive Military Agreement in protest of Pyongyang's launch of a military spy satellite.

North Korea has said it would restore all military measures halted under the deal. North Korea has since armed its soldiers in the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone that separates the two Koreas with pistols, in addition to restoring guard posts and placing heavy firearms along the inter-Korean border.

In an editorial carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang said it is "clear" that a "dismal consequence" will await Seoul, noting that the North's defense ministry has declared it will "never be bound" by the agreement.

The KCNA also lashed out at the government of Yoon Suk Yeol over holding joint military drills with the United States and Japan as part of their growing trilateral security cooperation.

Pyongyang has long accused South Korea-U.S. military drills as rehearsals for an invasion against it.

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