South Korea is planning to put on hold a 2018 military agreement with North Korea following a campaign where the latter sent balloons filled with trash over the frontier.

The National Security Council of South Korea announced on Monday that they will propose a plan to fully suspend the pact before the cabinet during a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. The key military agreement had already been partially halted last year.

The council mentioned that continuing adherence to the agreement would create “significant issues for our military’s preparedness.” Halting the deal would enable the nation to conduct drills near the military demarcation line and take unspecified “immediate actions” if needed.

This agreement, the most substantial outcome from a series of historic meetings between the two Koreas during a period of improved relations under South Korean President Moon Jae-in, was partially frozen by Seoul last year after North Korea successfully launched its first spy satellite.

Following the satellite launch, North Korea declared that it would no longer honor the agreement.

Rubbish Issue

The full suspension comes in the wake of North Korea sending numerous balloons loaded with trash and even animal feces – referred to as “gifts of sincerity” – across the border.

Kim Yo Jong, sister to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and a prominent spokesperson for Pyongyang, ridiculed South Korea's complaints about the balloons, asserting that North Koreans were merely expressing their freedom of speech.

Nevertheless, Pyongyang announced on Sunday that it would cease the balloon-sending campaign, claiming they had already effectively countered South Korean “propaganda.”

They stated that the campaign was a response to balloons from South Korean activists containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets, money, food, or USB drives loaded with K-dramas or pop music.

After a National Security Council meeting on Sunday, a presidential official mentioned that Seoul might consider resuming former loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts aimed at Kim Jong Un in response to the North Korean balloons.