S. Korea Considers Suspending Tension Reduction Accord With North

South Korea's Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho noted that Seoul will need to review the existing security situation while deciding whether to suspend the 2018 inter-Korean military de-escalation agreement ("Pyongyang Declaration").

• The milestone agreement has come under renewed scrutiny earlier this year, due to a series of what South Korea perceived as a series of military provocations by Pyongyang. Last month, local press cited Unification Ministry officials as noting that "an agreement that is only kept unilaterally by us and not followed by North Korea is not desirable".
• The push for suspending the agreement received fresh momentum after the surprise attack on Israel by Palestinian militants, which sparked concerns over South Korea's vulnerability to a potential unexpected offensive. New Defence Minister Shin Won-sik reaffirmed his support for promptly suspending the agreement, noting that it prevents adequate monitoring of North Korea's actions.
• The Unification Minister said that the issue of suspending or abandoning the agreement should be discussed at a National Security Council meeting. Any such action would mark further deterioration in inter-Korean relations, reducing the odds of a renewed detente any time soon.