SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s government has approved the suspension of a contentious military agreement with North Korea, a step that would allow it to take tougher responses to North Korean provocations.

The development came as animosities between the rival Koreas rose sharply recently after North Korea launched trash-carrying balloons across the border in reaction to previous South Korean civilian leafletting campaigns.

On Tuesday, South Korea’s Cabinet Council passed a proposal aimed at suspending the 2018 inter-Korean agreement on lowering down frontline military tensions.

The proposal will formally take effect when it’s signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, likely later Tuesday, according to government officials.