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Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in from South Korea in 2018
North Korea has suspended plans for “military action” against South Korea, according to state media.
There have been mounting tensions between the two countries in recent weeks, as groups in the south planned to fly propaganda flyers over the border.
The north had threatened to send troops to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on the intra-Korean border.
But in a meeting chaired by leader Kim Jong-un, state media said the decision was made to suspend the military action.
The Central Military Commission made its decision after taking into consideration what it called the prevailing situation.
Her sister Kim Yo-jong had given orders to the army more than a week ago, claiming that they “would decisively carry out the next action” in part because of what Pyongyang said was that Seoul was unable to prevent activists from sending anti-regime pamphlets. on the edge attached to balloons.
Why has there been a recent escalation of tensions?
Since a 2018 thaw, longtime rivals have been making efforts to improve ties and maintain dialogue.
But the relationship seemed to have deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks.
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Police rescue a balloon after it fell into a river on the South Korean side
In part, the dispute is over groups of South Korean defectors sending leaflets north.
They are generally shipped to the country via balloons, they generally carry leaflets, USB sticks or DVDs with criticism of the Pyongyang regime, as well as news reports from South Korea or even Korean dramas.
All of this is aimed at breaking the North’s control over internal information in the hope that people will eventually topple the regime from within.
The North argues that the brochures violate an agreement between the two countries to avoid confrontations.
The South Korean government has already tried to stop groups sending brochures across the border, arguing that their actions put residents near the border at risk.
Earlier this month, North Korea cut all inter-Korean lines of communication with the South, including a hotline between the leaders of the two nations.
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On Friday, North Korea blew up the Inter-Korean Liaison Office on its side of the border, which was created two years ago to ensure regular dialogue between the two countries.
Kim Yo-jong’s threats of military action, without elaborating, further fueled tensions.
However, the tone of Tuesday’s meeting in North Korea seems to indicate a decrease in rhetoric.
The meeting also discussed documents describing measures to “further strengthen the country’s war deterrence,” state news agency KCNA reported.
Earlier this year, Kim Jong-un said he was ending the suspension of the long-range and nuclear missile tests that were implemented during talks with the United States.
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