After military agreements
North Korea is arming itself on the border with the South
November 27, 2023, 5:57 p.m
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After the launch of a North Korean spy satellite, Seoul is temporarily putting a military agreement with the neighboring country on hold. Pyongyang responds by moving troops to the border. Now ruler Kim Jong Un is also rebuilding guard posts in the region.
North Korea has begun restoring guard posts on its southern border after the two countries suspended a military agreement, according to the South Korean army. Pyongyang recently sent armed soldiers and equipment, an army official said. A photo released by the army shows four North Korean soldiers setting up a wooden guard post in the demilitarized zone between the two countries.
The South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing the army, that all eleven posts that were abolished as part of the agreement will be restored. Pyongyang had already announced that it wanted to deploy “stronger armed forces” and “new military equipment” on the border between the two Korean states.
South Korea announced last Wednesday that it would partially suspend a 2018 military agreement and resume surveillance measures along the border. This was preceded by the launch of the spy satellite “Malligyong-1”, which North Korea said it successfully launched into space last week after two failed attempts.
During a visit to the space control center in Pyongyang this Monday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed “great satisfaction” about the preparations for the satellite’s reconnaissance mission, which is scheduled to begin on December 1, according to the state news agency KCNA. The launch of the satellite was strongly condemned, especially by the USA and South Korea. They fear a “destabilizing effect” for the region.