North Korea moves heavy weapons to border with South

Seoul condemns ‘provocative acts’ as tensions rise after launch of spy satellite in defiance of UN sanctions

North Korea has started rebuilding guard posts and stationing heavy weapons along its border with South Korea, the defence ministry in Seoul has said, following the countries’ withdrawal from a key confidence-building agreement designed to prevent an inter-Korean war.

Media reports cited the South Korean military as saying it had detected troops from the North repairing camouflaged guard posts the regime had destroyed as part of a comprehensive military agreement in 2018 designed to lower the risk of a confrontation along the heavily armed demilitarised zone [DMZ].