- Title: South Korea "closely reviewing" North Korea's suspension of military action
- Date: 24th June 2020
- Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (JUNE 24, 2020) (REUTERS) SOUTH KOREAN UNIFICATION MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, YOH SANG-KEY, STANDING AT PODIUM FOR NEWS BRIEFING / JOURNALISTS SEATED JOURNALISTS SEATED NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN UNIFICATION MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, YOH SANG-KEY, SAYING: "We have seen the North's report (on Kim Jong Un's military meeting) today and are carefully and closely reviewing it. We will monitor the situation." JOURNALISTS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN UNIFICATION MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, YOH SANG-KEY, SAYING: "The government's original stance that inter-Korean agreements must be kept remains unchanged. Apart from this, this is a reminder that activities which cause tension between the two Koreas and pose risk to the safety of residents in the border area, such as releasing anti-North Korea leaflets, will continue to be sternly dealt with." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN UNIFICATION MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON, YOH SANG-KEY, SAYING: "It is unprecedented for Chairman Kim Jong Un to preside over a video conference. Based on North Korean reports, it seems that this was the first time Chairman Kim held a video conference." SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (RECENT - JUNE 16, 2020) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SOUTH KOREAN CENTRAL GOVERNMENT COMPLEX BUILDING SOUTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT FLAG
- Embargoed: 8th July 2020 04:22
- Keywords: Kim Jong Un North Korea South Korea Unification Ministry leader military action news briefing reaction
- Location: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
- City: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
- Country: South Korea
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001CJQ9O3R
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:South Korea's Unification Ministry said on Wednesday (June 24) that they are "closely reviewing" reports of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's decision to suspend military action plans against the South.
Kim presided over a video conference meeting of the ruling party's Central Military Commission on Tuesday (June 23), where members "took stock of the prevailing situation" before deciding to suspend the military plans, the North's official news agency KCNA reported without elaborating.
A spokesman for South Korea's Unification Ministry, Yoh Sang-key, said Seoul had not changed in its stance that inter-Korean agreements should be kept, adding that activities which cause tension between the two Koreas" will continue to be "sternly dealt with".
Political tensions between the rival Koreas have been rising over Pyongyang's objections to plans by defector-led groups in the South to send propaganda leaflets into the North. North Korea's military was seen removing about 10 loudspeakers near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on Wednesday, just days after they were seen reinstalling around 20 of the devices, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported, citing unnamed military sources. About 40 such systems were taken down after the two Koreas signed an accord in 2018 to cease "all hostile acts."
(Production: Dogyun Kim, Minwoo Park) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None