South Korea silences propaganda loudspeakers in bid to ‘restore trust' with North
South Korea 's military has shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda along the inter-Korean border, marking the new liberal government's first concrete step towards easing tensions between the war-divided rivals.
The South resumed the loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year, following a years-long pause in retaliation for
North Korea flying
trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign.
South Korea's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday the move was part of efforts to 'to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean peninsula.'
North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler,
Kim Jong-un , did not immediately comment on the step by Seoul.
From May to November last year, North Korea flew thousands of balloons toward South Korea to drop substances such as waste paper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. The North said its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas.
Rubbish carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
5 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea and US seek to revive talks with North Korea as Kim Jong-un rejects Trump letter
South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday it is working closely with the United States to revive dialogue with North Korea, amid reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un recently rejected a letter from US President Donald Trump. 'South Korea and the United States are maintaining close communication at all levels on North Korea policy, including US-North Korea dialogue. The US has reaffirmed its commitment to coordination on multiple occasions,' Lee Jae-woong, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said. The remarks followed a report by the US-based outlet NK News that North Korean diplomats at their mission to the United Nations in New York refused to accept the letter, despite repeated delivery attempts by US officials. While declining to comment directly on Trump's letter, Lee emphasised the ministry's ongoing efforts to reopen communication with Pyongyang to ease tensions and build trust. Although South Korea's Ministry of Unification, which handles inter-Korean affairs, would not comment on the issue, the foreign ministry's stance marks a stark contrast to the administration of former president Yoon Suk-yeol. Yoon's government adopted a hardline stance against Pyongyang, emphasising denuclearisation over engagement and often responding to North Korea's escalating missile tests with stepped-up joint military drills, leading to a significant deterioration of inter-Korean communication channels and increasingly heated rhetoric from both sides. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reads a letter from US President Donald Trump in June 2019. Photo: KCNA/KNA/AFP The foreign ministry's remarks came hours after the White House said Trump remains open to talks with Kim, following the media report. 'The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong-un and would like to see progress made at the Singapore summit,' White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said during a briefing on Wednesday. She neither confirmed nor denied reports of Kim's refusal.
South China Morning Post
6 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
South Korea suspends propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along border to North Korea
Read more about this: South Korea's military has shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda along the inter-Korean border, showcasing the new liberal government's first step to ease tensions between the war-divided rivals. South Korea resumed the loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2024, following a years-long pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. Pyongyang meanwhile appears to have also suspended its own broadcasts near the border targeting South Korea, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
South China Morning Post
7 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
End to inter-Korea ‘loudspeaker war'?
Silence has returned to the inter-Korean border for the first time in a year, as Pyongyang ceased loudspeaker broadcasts in a reciprocal action hours after Seoul powered down its propaganda volume on the front line. Advertisement Observers warn that while the halt may help build an atmosphere conducive to easing tensions, it does not yet signal a shift in the North's broader indifferent policy towards reconciliation with its neighbour or the United States. 'There have been no areas today where North Korea 's loudspeaker broadcasts towards the South were heard,' a South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff official said on Thursday. According to the official, North Korea's loudspeakers went quiet after 11pm on Wednesday. 'In the past, these broadcasts were often audible in the early morning, but none were heard this morning.' He warned, however, that the stoppage might only be temporary. 'We are closely monitoring the North for its next moves.' Advertisement Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, cautioned against reading too much into the development. 'North Korea is reacting proportionally to the South's prior halt to its borderline loudspeaker broadcasts. The North sees no need to continue the war of loudspeakers, which has a disproportionately greater psychological impact on its own soldiers and border residents than on South Koreans,' Hong told This Week in Asia.
