South Korea has decided to fully suspend a 2018 inter-Korean agreement designed to ease tensions. The move follows the release of trash-filled balloons by North Korea.

The National Security Council decided at its working-level meeting on Monday that the pact will be suspended until mutual trust is restored. The military agreement was signed by the previous South Korean administration in 2018.

North Korea has sent massive balloons filled with trash and waste into the South and attempted to jam GPS signals in the Yellow Sea off the west coast of the Korean Peninsula since late last month.

The South Korean presidential office says that North Korea's recent provocations have caused real harm and threats to its citizens and negatively impacted the military's readiness posture.

The decision will be finalized by the Cabinet on Tuesday. The presidential office says the suspension of the pact will enable the military to conduct drills near the Military Demarcation Line between the two Koreas, and respond to North Korean provocations more adequately and immediately.

Last November, Seoul suspended part of the pact after Pyongyang claimed to have successfully launched a military satellite for the first time.

North Korea responded by announcing that it will no longer be abide by the agreement.