As North Korea Cancels Military Action, Southern Politicians Urge Vigilance

American and South Korean officials and lawmakers have expressed their hopes of de-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula following the North's decision to abandon planned military action this week.

Relations remain strained on the peninsula following months of failed denuclearization and sanctions relief talks plus a dispute over propaganda balloons floated into the North by defector groups in the South.

Last week, North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office near the border as a symbol of its frustration. Northern military officials and state media then threatened military moves, including the re-occupation of sensitive areas close to the Demilitarized Zone border.

But Pyongyang said Tuesday it would suspend its "military action plans" after leader Kim Jong Un presided over the preliminary video meeting for of the the ruling Korean Workers' Party Central Military Commission, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

The news was met with relief in the South, where lawmakers urged cautious engagement with the North. Lee Hae-chan, the chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, said peace on the peninsula "can only guarantee the survival of the Korean people," the Yonhap news agency reported.

President Moon Jae-in led the Democratic Party to a resounding victory in this year's general election. Moon is a proponent of engaging with the North, and despite reservations from South Korean conservatives has sought to build closer ties with Pyongyang.

Lee told fellow Democratic Party lawmakers that the two nations should now "sit down face to face again for constructive dialogue." Democratic lawmaker Park Kwang-on said the decision to abandon the military plans was "wise" and said peaceful progress "can reopen channels for inter-Korean talks."

Lee Nak-yeon, who served as Moon's first prime minister, said on Facebook that the North Korea step was "a very proper determination" and expressed his hope that the two Kores and the U.S. will "be able to break out of the ongoing [deadlock] and form a new, desirable environment."

Opposition lawmakers were more cautious in their responses. Park Jin of the main opposition United Future Party said Pyongyang's step away from military action is "a relief for now, but the North has not yet withdrawn its declaration [to treat South Korea] as an enemy," Yonhap reported. "The military should not relax its alertness against North Korea," Park added.

Fellow UFP representative Cho Kyoung-tae said Seoul should not attach "much meaning" to the North's announcement, warning it could yet prove "temporary."

An anonymous State Department official, meanwhile, told Yonhap that the U.S. hopes Pyongyang will "return to engagement" rather than further escalating tensions.

"We remain in close coordination with our ally, the Republic of Korea, and urge the DPRK to return to engagement," the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity. The U.S. has urged the North to avoid "further counterproductive actions," the official added.