North Korea's unusual move after suspending deal with South Korea

Động thái bất thường của Triều Tiên sau khi dừng thỏa thuận với Hàn Quốc - 1 — North Korean soldiers advance toward the demarcation line separating South Korea and North Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom (Photo: AFP).

Major General Lena Persson Herlitz and Major General Ivo Burgener of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) said that North Korea has increased its activities in the truce village of Panmunjom recently. The two generals also expressed concern that the cancellation of the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA) could increase the risk of military miscalculation.

"The purpose (of the CMA) is to promote the armistice agreement and of course, there will be increased risks if there is no buffer zone. It is right to set rules and hopefully both sides will abide by those rules," Herlitz, a member of the Swedish delegation, said in an interview held on December 7 at Camp Bonifas, south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.

General Burgener of the Swiss delegation said he had seen “more troops” and “more movement” on the North Korean side of the Joint Security Area (JSA) at the truce village of Panmunjom two weeks ago.

When asked to elaborate, General Herlitz said: "There is more activity but no details."

However, the two generals noted that the suspension of the CMA will not affect the NNSC's mission. General Herlitz said the NNSC's mission remains the same and will continue to monitor compliance with the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War (1950-1953).

The NNSC has been monitoring the implementation of the armistice agreement as an "objective" observer, General Herlitz said.

The Korean War did not end with a peace treaty, so North and South Korea are technically still at war.

North Korea said on November 23 it would restore all military measures suspended under a 2018 agreement, after South Korea suspended part of the agreement in protest at the North's successful launch of a military spy satellite on November 21.

Disarming the JSA is one of the contents of the agreement, along with the withdrawal of border posts within 1km of the border, banning military exercises and drills near the land and sea borders, and establishing no-fly zones along the border.

Since the abrogation of the agreement, North Korea has begun rebuilding guard posts and deploying heavy weapons in the DMZ, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry . North Korean soldiers at the JSA have been seen carrying pistols, according to local reports.

The agreement was signed on September 19, 2018, when then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in traveled to Pyongyang for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Relations between the two sides have deteriorated since South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol took office with a tougher stance toward Pyongyang, and North Korea carried out a series of provocations, including long-range missile launches.

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