South Korea said Tuesday it will continue maintaining its military readiness until North Korea normalizes its front-line defense level as it takes time for the North to pull back its forward-deployed troops. 

Earlier Tuesday, after four days of intensive inter-Korean talks, North Korea agreed to lift its quasi-war state of its armed forces starting at noon in return for the South's stoppage of the anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts along the border.

"Since the North has agreed to withdraw the semi-war state starting at 12:00 p.m., our military will maintain its defense posture for the possibility of another provocation," Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said in a briefing.

 The North may need "considerable" time to pull back its forces that were deployed to the frontline, Kim said, adding that the South Korean military will also push back its military alert position accordingly. (Yonhap)