South Korea has announced a partial suspension of an inter-Korean agreement following North Korea's claim of launching a military spy satellite, a move that defies United Nations bans. The suspension, set to restart frontline aerial surveillance of North Korea, was confirmed by officials in Seoul.

This decision by South Korea, likely to provoke ire from North Korea, comes in the wake of the North's assertion of placing a military reconnaissance satellite into orbit. This marks the third such attempt this year, although independent verification of the claim is yet to be established. The Pentagon is still assessing the launch's success, and Japan has not confirmed the satellite's entry into orbit. However, the United States and its allies have swiftly condemned the action, believing it to be an effort by North Korea to advance its missile technology and establish a space-based surveillance system.

North Korea defends its satellite launches as an exercise of its sovereign rights to counter perceived threats led by the U.S. Yet, U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibit such liftoffs by North Korea, viewing them as veiled tests for its long-range missile capabilities.

Heo Tae-keun, South Korea's deputy minister of national defense policy, condemned the North's recent satellite launch as a blatant violation of U.N. resolutions and a serious threat to South Korea's security. He stated that South Korea would partially suspend the 2018 inter-Korean tension-reduction agreement to resume aerial surveillance activities along the border. This decision was approved during South Korea's Cabinet Council meeting.

Emphasizing the robust military alliance with the U.S., Heo warned of swift and firm repercussions against North Korea should it exploit South Korea's actions as a pretext for further provocation.

The 2018 agreement, formed during a brief period of detente between the two Koreas, established buffer and no-fly zones along the heavily fortified border. It mandated the cessation of frontline aerial reconnaissance and live-firing exercises while dismantling guard posts and removing landmines from border areas.

Critics in South Korea lambasted the deal for significantly restricting the country's superior aerial surveillance capabilities compared to North Korea's and accused it of disproportionately favoring North Korea. They argued that while the agreement called for mutual reductions in conventional military strength, it left North Korea's burgeoning nuclear arsenal intact. South Korea does not possess nuclear weapons.

The thaw in Korean relations dissipated following the breakdown of broader nuclear diplomacy between North Korea and the U.S. in 2019. Subsequently, North Korea intensified missile tests to modernize its weapons arsenal, prompting joint defense exercises by the U.S. and South Korea in response.

North Korea's National Aerospace Technology Administration declared the launch of its "Malligyong-1" spy satellite as successful, claiming it would enhance the North's readiness against perceived threats. The agency hinted at future launches of additional spy satellites to monitor South Korea and other regions.

The same satellite was used in two failed launches earlier this year. South Korea dismissed the satellite as too rudimentary for military reconnaissance, retrieving debris from the initial launch.

North Korea's space agency asserted that the "Malligyong-1" satellite was placed into orbit on Tuesday night, minutes after it was launched via the new "Chollima-1" carrier rocket. However, neighboring countries have yet to confirm the satellite's successful placement in Earth's orbit.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno indicated the lack of confirmation regarding the satellite's orbit, refraining from labeling the launch as a failure. He highlighted the need for "a fair amount of time" to ascertain the launch's outcome.

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