Today’s news / Koreas – military agreement

Koreas – military agreement

North Korea has stationed soldiers and heavy weapons on its border with South Korea after the two countries suspended a joint military agreement last week, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. The aim of the agreement was to reduce military tensions between the two countries. It was concluded in 2018 and meant, among other things, that it was forbidden for the parties to station armed soldiers at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The DMZ is a four-kilometer-wide belt between North and South Korea — two kilometers on either side of the formal border. In addition, the agreement included a flight ban for all types of aircraft over the DMZ and a number of other measures. The agreement was signed by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then South Korean President Moon Jae-in. South Korea announced that it would partially suspend the agreement after North Korea succeeded in sending its first spy satellite into Earth orbit, according to the country. After South Korea’s announcement, North Korea said it would scrap the agreement altogether. /ritzau/Reuters