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Seoul to Repeal Inter-Korean Accords in Event of Provocation by Pyongyang – PM

© AP Photo / Korea Summit Press PoolNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Friday, April 27, 2018
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the border village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone, South Korea, Friday, April 27, 2018 - Sputnik International
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TOKYO (Sputnik) - Seoul will cancel all newly signed inter-Korean agreements with Pyongyang if the latter again carries out provocations, such as missile launches, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon stated.

"Should there be a provocation (by the North), the previous agreements will naturally be nullified," Lee said, as quoted by the media outlet.

The latest agreement with Pyongyang on the reduction of armaments along the border does not mean that Seoul is giving up on national defense, the prime minister noted.

"Arms reduction is something reciprocal. This can't be done unilaterally … I can't understand why the agreement not to conduct firing drills and maneuvers would mean giving up on national defense," Lee said in response to the opposition’s claims that the agreement is equal to giving up South Korean defense.

READ MORE: South, North Korea Start Demining Demilitarized Zone

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The prime minister made the remarks at a parliamentary session during the debate with the main opposition party, after the latter opposed the prompt ratification of the inter-Korean agreements and said it would be better for Seoul to wait for the results of the next Pyongyang-Washington talks, according to the Yonhap news agency.

On September 18-20, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un held their third inter-Korean summit, during which the two sides reached a number of agreements regarding Pyongyang's military and nuclear facilities, as well as the connection of Korean roads and railways.

Pyongyang and Seoul also signed an accord aimed at enhancing mutual trust.

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