The National Security Council(NSC) said on Wednesday that it will seek to suspend part of a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement after North Korea launched what it claims is a military spy satellite.

The NSC announced the decision in a statement after an emergency meeting presided over remotely by President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is in Britain for a state visit.

Condemning the launch as a direct threat to the security of South Korea and the world and a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions regardless of whether it was successful, the NSC said North Korea proceeded despite repeated warnings from the international community.

The NSC said that the government will take steps to suspend the effectiveness of Article One, Clause Three of the inter-Korean military agreement, contending that the North has been violating agreements and promises between the two Koreas and the deal has restricted South Korea’s ability to detect provocations.

The clause in question established a buffer zone by designating a no-fly zone in the inter-Korean border area.

The NSC also said that it will restore reconnaissance and surveillance operations against North Korea in the area around the Military Demarcation Line.

[Photo : YONHAP News]