DPRK announces to restore all military measures halted under inter-Korean military agreement

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) announced on Thursday the decision to immediately restore all military measures halted under an inter-Korean military agreement, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The DPRK's defense ministry made the statement a day after the Republic of Korea (ROK) made a prompt decision to partially suspend the accord designed to defuse danger of an armed conflict along the Military Demarcation Line, over the DPRK's launch of a reconnaissance satellite late Tuesday.

The satellite launch is "a step pertaining to the right to self-defense and the legitimate and just exercise of sovereignty", said the DPRK report.

The DPRK "will withdraw the military measures, taken to prevent military tension and conflict in all spheres including ground, sea and air, and deploy more powerful armed forces and new-type military hardware in the region along the Military Demarcation Line," the report added.

The ROK on Wednesday decided to partially suspend the military agreement with the DPRK reached in 2018.