logo
South Korea starts removing anti-North Korean loudspeakers on border

South Korea starts removing anti-North Korean loudspeakers on border

The Stara day ago
A general view shows the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, July 19, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/Pool/File Photo
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean authorities began removing on Monday loudspeakers blaring anti-North Korea broadcasts along the country's border, Seoul's defence ministry said, as the new government of President Lee Jae Myung seeks to ease tensions with Pyongyang.
Shortly after he took office in June, Lee's administration switched off propaganda broadcasts criticizing the North Korean regime as it looks to revive stalled dialogue with its neighbour.
But North Korea recently rebuffed the overtures and said it had no interest in talking to South Korea.
The countries remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean war ended in a truce and relations have deteriorated in the last few years.
South Korea's dismantling of the loudspeakers from Monday is just a "practical measure to help ease tensions between the South and the North," the ministry said in a statement on Monday.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park, Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies)
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Thailand approves US$600mil deal for Swedish fighter jets
Thailand approves US$600mil deal for Swedish fighter jets

The Star

time18 minutes ago

  • The Star

Thailand approves US$600mil deal for Swedish fighter jets

The US$600 million agreement for the Saab JAS 39 Gripens was first announced in June. - Photo: Reuters BANGKOK: Thailand approved the purchase of four Swedish-made Gripen fighter jets on Tuesday (Aug 5), the air force said, a week after reaching a ceasefire in deadly border clashes with Cambodia. The US$600 million agreement for the Saab JAS 39 Gripens was first announced in June as part of a long-term plan to modernise the air force's combat capabilities. During five days of clashes with Cambodia that left more than 40 people dead, Thailand used its fleet of F-16s to strike military targets across the border. It was the deadliest border fighting between the two countries in decades. 'The Cabinet has approved the purchase of JAS 39 Saab Gripen to strengthen the Royal Thai Air Force and protect Thailand's sovereignty,' the air force said on its official Facebook page. A procurement committee began deliberations in August 2024, concluding a 10-month review that favoured the Scandinavian-made jets over American F-16s. The kingdom already operates 11 older Gripens, as well as dozens of F-16s acquired in the 1980s. The country's total defence budget stands at 200 billion baht (S$8 billion), which includes allocations for the army, navy and air force. - AFP

Thailand plans $572 million stimulus spending and will compensate border conflict casualties
Thailand plans $572 million stimulus spending and will compensate border conflict casualties

The Star

timean hour ago

  • The Star

Thailand plans $572 million stimulus spending and will compensate border conflict casualties

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Thailand will spend 18.5 billion baht ($572 million) on stimulus measures to support the economy as it braces for the impact of U.S. tariffs, and will compensate families of those who died in last month's border conflict, officials said on Tuesday. The stimulus measures approved by cabinet are aimed at enhancing economic competitiveness and supporting student loans, Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat told reporters. The government still has about 25 billion baht of funds to use to mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs and for broader relief efforts, Julapun said. The U.S. last week set a 19% tariff on imported goods from Thailand, lower than the 36% rate announced earlier this year and more aligned with other countries in the region. Julapun said cabinet gave the government approval to prepare a joint statement on tariffs and trade with the United States, but said discussions were ongoing and there was no set signing date. On Tuesday, the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce said it expected the economy to grow 1.7% this year. That is below both the finance ministry's revised forecast of 2.2% growth in 2025 and last year's actual growth of 2.5%. The cabinet also approved a 10 million baht ($310,000) payment to the families of government officials who died in the July conflict with Cambodia, while those injured will receive up to 1 million baht, government spokesperson Jirayu Huangsap told a briefing. Families of Thai civilians who died during the conflict will each receive a payment of 8 million baht, he said, while the injured would receive up to 800,000 baht. ($1 = 32.35 baht) (Reporting by Kitiphong Thaichareon, Panarat Thepgumpanat and Thanadech Staporncharnchai; Writing by Orathai Sriring; Editing by John Mair)

UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal
UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal

The Star

timean hour ago

  • The Star

UK to start returning some migrants to France within days under new deal

FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron shake hands as they hold a press conference on July 10, 2025 in London, England. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said it will begin implementing a deal to return some migrants who arrive on small boats to France within days, a key part of its plans to cut illegal migration, after a treaty on the arrangement is ratified on Tuesday. Under the new deal, France has agreed to accept the return of undocumented people arriving in Britain by small boats, in exchange for Britain agreeing to accept an equal number of legitimate asylum seekers with British family connections. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the "one in, one out" pilot scheme on migrant returns last month. More than 25,000 people have come to Britain on small boats so far in 2025, and Starmer has pledged to "smash the gangs" of smugglers to try to reduce the number of arrivals. Starmer, whose popularity has fallen since winning an election landslide last year, is facing pressure to stop small boats from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which leads national opinion polls. In recent weeks in England, there have been a number of protests around hotels housing the asylum seekers who have arrived on small boats, attended by both anti-immigration and pro-immigration groups. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on X that the new agreement between the countries has a "clear objective" to break up the people-smuggling networks, although British interior minister Yvette Cooper would not say how many people would be returned under the scheme. "The numbers will start lower and then build up," she told Sky News on Tuesday, adding that the people returned would be those who had immediately arrived on small boats, rather than people already in Britain. Government sources previously said the agreement would involve about 50 returns a week, or 2,600 a year, a fraction of the more than 35,000 arrivals reported last year. Critics of the scheme have said that the scale will not be sufficient to act as a deterrent, but Cooper said that the agreement with France was just one part of the government's wider plan. The government has also targeted people smugglers with sanctions, clamped down on social media adverts and is working with delivery firms to tackle the illegal work that is often promised to migrants. A treaty on the scheme was signed last week but not previously announced ahead of Tuesday's ratification. Britain said the European Commission and European Union member states had given the green light to the plan. (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Additional reporting by Sarah Young and Sudip Kar-Gupta;Editing by William James and Helen Popper)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store