South Korea to suspend military agreement with North Korea over trash balloons

South Korea is planning to suspend its military deal with North Korea over Pyongyang’s recent campaign of sending balloons carrying trash over to its southern neighbor. 

The country’s Cabinet Council greenlighted a proposal to append the entirety of the 2018 agreement between the two countries Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. The suspension will officially take place after South Korea sends a formal notice. 

“The responsibility for this situation lies solely with North Korea,” said Cho Chang-rae, South Korea’s deputy defense minister for policy, according to the AP. “If North Korea launches additional provocations, our military, in conjunction with the solid the South Korea-U.S. defense posture, will punish North Korea swiftly, strongly and to the end.”

The pending end to the 2018 agreement, which required both nations to halt all aggressive moves at the borders, comes after North Korea sent balloons filled with trash and excrement into South Korea last week. The balloons carried waste from paper to cigarette butts.

South Korea’s military said it found over 700 balloons at the end of last week, after tracking another 260 earlier in the week.

North Korea said Sunday that it would stop sending balloons after Seoul said it would take an “unbearable” response following Pyongyang’s campaign. 

Kim Kang II, a North Korea’s vice defense minister, said his nation was sending balloons in response to the south’s alleged leaflet campaign that included sending messages that were critical of the nation’s leadership.