The Defense Ministry has dismissed criticism that a zone in the Yellow Sea the two Koreas agreed to halt hostile activities in was not in favor of South Korea based on the Northern Limit Line.

A ministry official told reporters Thursday South Korea is not at a disadvantage because the North’s coastline in the no-hostile-act zone is around 270 kilometers long and less than 100 kilometers in the South.

The official said the North has six times more artillery on those coastlines, adding that the ratio of artillery in North and South Korea is around eight-to-one.

On whether U.S. Forces Korea(USFK) are subject to the no-fly zone in the Military Demarcation Line which the two Koreas agreed on, the official said there is no reason for the USFK to oppose the designation.

The agreements are part of a military accord on implementing the Panmunjeom Declaration, which came as a side agreement of Wednesday's Pyongyang Declaration.