The South Korean government expressed its deep regret Friday over a decision by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on scrapping inter-Korean agreements.
The remarks were made by Kim Ho-nyoun, a spokesman for the South Korean Unification Ministry. "Our government expresses deep regret," he said.
The South Korean side urged the DPRK "to accept our call for dialogue as soon as possible," he said.
According to the South Korean government, the DPRK announced early Friday that it scrapped all political and military agreements with South Korea.
The decision added tension on the Korean Peninsula and raised the possibility of a naval clash along the disputed maritime border on the Yellow Sea, local media said.
Meanwhile, the South Korean Defence Ministry said it will take "firm counteraction" against any attempt by the DPRK to violate South Korea's sea border on the Yellow Sea.
"We will uphold the maritime border just as we maintain the military demarcation line on land," said Defense Ministry spokesman Won Tae-jae.
"The agreement reached between the two sides cannot be scrapped just because one side decides to scrap it," Won said. "We have stuck to it, and our stance remains the same."
Won said the South Korean military has stepped up its monitoring activities along the border after DPRK announced to scrap inter-Korean agreements.
There have been the usual activities so far along the inter-Korean border, he added.