Saijae "Is Our Military Reconnaissance Capability Only This Much?"
In response to North Korea's continued launch of a military reconnaissance satellite, our government has declared it a "serious provocation against the Republic of Korea" and decided to 'partially suspend' the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement (hereinafter referred to as the 9.19 Agreement), restoring aerial reconnaissance and surveillance activities around the Military Demarcation Line. Former officials from the Moon Jae-in administration, one of whose major achievements was the 9.19 Agreement, raised their voices through a statement on the same day, urging to "stop weakening the military agreement."
On the 22nd, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik stated on his social media (SNS), "As of 3 p.m. today, the government has suspended the effect of Article 1, Clause 3 (no-fly zone) of the 9.19 Agreement to restore aerial reconnaissance and surveillance activities around the Military Demarcation Line," adding, "With the normalization of aerial reconnaissance and surveillance activities in the border area, our military's response posture will be further strengthened, including improved threat target identification capabilities."
The government's decision to partially suspend the 9.19 Agreement on this day came after North Korea announced the successful launch of a military reconnaissance satellite the previous night. North Korea's state media, Korean Central News Agency, reported, "The National Aerospace Development Administration successfully launched the reconnaissance satellite 'Manlilyeong-1' on the new rocket 'Chollima-1' from the West Sea Satellite Launching Station in Cholsan County, North Pyongan Province, at 10:42:28 p.m. last night." Although the success of the launch has not yet been confirmed, the government took action as previously warned.
Through this partial suspension, our military can now deploy drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) to conduct surveillance activities against the North. Minister Shin said, "This decision by the government is an essential measure to protect the lives and safety of our citizens from North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and various provocations," emphasizing, "The responsibility for causing this situation lies entirely with the North Korean regime."
However, lawmakers from the Moon Jae-in administration hold the position that the 9.19 Agreement, one of the Moon administration's representative achievements, should not be weakened. The forum 'Saeujae,' formed by former Blue House aides and vice ministers from the Moon administration, the Korean Peninsula Peace Forum, and lawmakers from the Moon administration's Blue House collectively stated, "The 9.19 Agreement is a concrete peace measure agreed upon to prevent accidental military clashes in the border area between the two Koreas," pointing out that the partial suspension of the agreement raises military tensions and the possibility of accidental military clashes between the South and the North.
They criticized the suspension of the clause prohibiting flights near the MDL, saying, "The effect is suspended because our military's reconnaissance capabilities against the North have been limited, but does our military need to conduct drone and aerial reconnaissance flights around the Demilitarized Zone to understand the North's military movements?" They questioned, "Is this the extent of our military's reconnaissance capabilities?"
They also expressed concern, stating, "We are also planning to launch a military reconnaissance satellite at the end of this month. If the North declares the suspension or termination of the military agreement, how will we respond?"
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