Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) Chairman Kim Seung-kyum said the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement has imposed restrictions on the ability to conduct surveillance on North Korea.

At a parliamentary audit on Thursday, Kim said the scope of surveillance is limited in both duration and area due to a no-fly zone designation near the demilitarized zone under the agreement.

The JCS chief said the surprise attack on Israel by Hamas established many implications for a possible future attack by the North, which would likely conduct a similar incursion.

In his opening remarks, Kim said the military is in confrontation with an enemy equipped with force different from that of Hamas, adding that South Korean forces maintain a firm combat posture capable of immediately and strongly punishing the enemy for any type of provocation or aggression until the end.

He said the military seeks to enhance the enforcement of the U.S.’ extended deterrence through close coordination with Washington, while expanding the capabilities and posture of the military's three-axis defense system against the North's nuclear and missile threats.