North Korea fully suspends military pact with South aimed at lowering military tensions, in the latest escalation of a row between the two.

In the early hours of Tuesday, Pyongyang announced that it had launched a spy satellite into space successfully.

Due to this, South Korea suspended the agreement, saying it would resume surveillance flights along the border.

A stronger force and equipment will be sent to the border in response to Pyongyang’s suspension of the agreement.

In a statement, it stated that the September 19 North-South Military Agreement would no longer bind the army.

In addition, it promised to withdraw “all measures taken to prevent military conflict in all spheres, including ground, sea, and air” and deploy “more powerful armed forces and new-type military equipment” along the border.

Later, South Korea’s military confirmed that the satellite had entered orbit, but said it was too early to determine whether it was functioning.

The South has strongly condemned the launch, and top officials agreed on Wednesday morning to restart surveillance operations along the border to monitor North Korean outposts and long-range artillery.

In order to de-escalate tensions between the two nations and prevent a conflict, both leaders signed the Comprehensive Military Agreement in 2018 which established a no-fly zone.

Drones were sent across the border into South Korea last December, with one reaching the capital Seoul.

Seoul argued that the North already did not abide by parts of the agreement, so parts of the agreement were scrapped.

Developing a functioning spy satellite is a major part of North Korea’s five-year military plan, set out by its leader Kim Jong Un in January 2021.