South Korea completes removal of anti-Pyongyang loudspeakers in DMZ

UPI

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South Korea's military completed the removal of anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeakers in the DMZ, officials said Wednesday. Photo courtesy of South Korea Ministry of Defense
SEOUL, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- South Korea completed removing loudspeakers that had been installed along the DMZ to blast anti-Pyongyang messages across the border, military officials said Wednesday.
Around 20 speakers were completely dismantled by Tuesday afternoon, officials said. The military began the project on Monday, calling it a "practical measure that will help ease tensions between the South and the North."
In June, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered the suspension of the broadcasts, which included news, K-pop music, and information about democracy and life in South Korea.
Seoul had resumed the Cold War-style propaganda campaign one year earlier in response to a series of provocations by North Korea that included floating thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border.
The North countered by broadcasting bizarre noises such as metallic screeching and animal sounds, disturbing residents in areas near the DMZ. Pyongyang quieted its own speakers after the initial suspension but has not yet appeared to take corresponding action to remove them.
As of Tuesday, there were "no movements by the North Korean military to dismantle their loudspeakers," Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Col. Lee Sung-jun said at a press briefing.
President Lee has made an effort to improve inter-Korean relations since taking office in June. In addition to the loudspeaker suspension, his administration has also cracked down on activists floating balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
Last month, Seoul repatriated six North Koreans who drifted into southern waters on wooden boats and announced plans to return the remains of another North Korean national found near the maritime border.
Pyongyang did not respond to the repatriation plan by a deadline on Tuesday afternoon, South Korea's Unification Ministry said. Local government officials will conduct "a respectful funeral in accordance with procedures for handling unclaimed bodies," the ministry said.
North Korea has rebuffed Seoul's attempts at rapprochement so far.
Last week, Kim Yo Jong -- the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un -- said Pyongyang had "no interest" in responding to efforts by the Lee administration to thaw relations, citing Seoul's "blind trust" in military ties with the United States.
The allies are scheduled to hold their annual large-scale Ulchi Freedom Shield joint military exercise this month. Pyongyang frequently condemns the joint drills as rehearsals for an invasion.