South Korea's National Security Council that year moved to "suspend the effect of Article 1, Clause 3" establishing no-fly zones close to the border in the 2018 military agreement, enabling Seoul to restore reconnaissance and surveillance activities along the border.

South Korea’s birth rate has dropped throughout much of the past decade, spelling trouble for the military as regional threats and global conflicts simmer.

South Korea intends to restore a pact to suspend military activity along its border with North Korea, President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday, as his government seeks to improve ties between the neighbouring countries still technically at war.