It was established by a bilateral agreement in 2018 to ease military tension. The South Korean president is under pressure for failing to react to the Kim Jong-un regime’s airstrike. Since the beginning of 2022, the North Koreans have repeatedly violated the agreement. Now there is a risk of more intense clashes on the border.
Seoul () – In the event that North Korea violates South Korean territory again, the South is willing to consider suspending the bilateral agreement that in 2018 established a maritime buffer zone between the two countries, South Korean President Yoon said today Suk-yeol in response to the recent North Korean drone raid.
On December 26, five Pyongyang drones penetrated as far as Seoul, bypassing South Korean defenses. According to the Daily NK, in a military briefing for some officials, the Kim Jong-un regime claimed responsibility for the use of 12 drones in the operation: seven of which reportedly returned to North Korea immediately after crossing the Military Demarcation Line. with the South, a claim that cannot be independently verified.
Pressed by the lack of reaction to Pyongyang’s airstrike, Yoon also announced the large-scale production of hard-to-locate mini-drones and the creation of such a unit with counteroffensive capabilities.
The two Koreas are technically at war; the North and the South have never signed a peace treaty to end the conflict that pitted them against each other from 1950 to 1953. North Korea has been isolated from the international community (except for China and, to a certain extent, Russia) and has been subject to international sanctions since 2006 for its nuclear and missile program.
The 2018 deal was the result of diplomatic efforts by then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in. His goal was to create the conditions to reduce the military tension between Seoul and Pyongyang at the same time that Donald Trump had started negotiations with Kim that later proved unsuccessful.
Since last year, the North Koreans have fired artillery shells beyond the maritime buffer zone on several occasions. According to analysts, Seoul’s withdrawal from the agreement increases the chances of more dangerous incidents at the border.
