South Korea Halts Rapprochement Deal with North Korea Amid Balloon Dispute

South Korea has decided to suspend a 2018 agreement with North Korea following a series of provocative balloon launches. This move allows South Korea to resume military drills near the border and conduct anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts, a response to North Korea's strategy to undermine its southern neighbor's policies.

South Korea announced Monday it would suspend a rapprochement deal with North Korea, following the North's provocative launches of trash-filled balloons. The decision marks a significant escalation in the ongoing inter-Korean tension.

Over several days, North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying manure and waste into South Korean territory, a retaliatory move against previous South Korean leafleting campaigns. Despite North Korea's announcement to cease balloon launches, South Korea plans 'unbearable' retaliatory steps.

South Korea's presidential national security council has decided to halt the 2018 inter-Korean agreement aimed at easing frontline animosities. The suspension will enable military drills near the border and effective countermeasures to North Korea's provocations, with the proposal set for Cabinet Council approval on Tuesday.