North Korea restores series of checkpoints near South Korea

North Korea redeploys troops and equipment to the Demilitarized Zone to restore destroyed checkpoints following an agreement with South Korea.

South Korean defense officials said today that the country's military has detected a series of North Korean soldiers appearing at many locations along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

"Only a few guard posts have been restored, but we expect North Korea to rebuild the entire network, as they are essential infrastructure for border reconnaissance efforts. We are conducting surveillance operations to guard against new provocations," the South Korean official said.

North Korean soldiers at a border post in this photo released today. Photo: Yonhap — North Korean soldiers at a border post in this photo released today. Photo: *Yonhap*

The South Korean presidential office later announced that the country would maintain a state of readiness and monitor any moves by North Korea in the border area.

Pyongyang has not commented on the information.

The inter-Korean military agreement was signed on September 19, 2018, at the third summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who wanted to reconcile the two Koreas.

The agreement established a land and maritime buffer zone where artillery and naval exercises were suspended. Each side also destroyed 10 of the 11 guard posts in the DMZ, leaving only one site of historical or other significance. There were no notable incidents between the two sides after the agreement was signed.

North Korea's Defense Ministry announced last week that it was ending the agreement, warning that it would send new weapons and more powerful forces to the border. "We will suspend all measures that have been taken to reduce tension and the risk of military conflict," the agency said.

The announcement came after Seoul suspended part of the agreement and vowed to step up surveillance along the inter-Korean border in response to Pyongyang's launch of a spy satellite. North Korea's Defense Ministry criticized the move and said South Korea would "bear full responsibility if an irreversible conflict breaks out."