Don’t forget that the north has sold most of their artillery stock piles off to Russia and sent many of their troops to Ukraine. A huge part of their position was having that massive artillery stockpile aimed at Seoul. They are in a much weaker position, militarily, and much more stable with the building materials, food, and cars they’ve received in return.

The long-term outlook isn’t very good, but for now there is less of a need for military presence and war preparation on the peninsula.