South Korea begins removing border propaganda speakers in conciliatory gesture toward North
The speakers had previously been used to blast anti-North Korean propaganda across the border, but the South's new liberal government halted the broadcasts in June in a conciliatory gesture as it looks to rebuild trust and revive dialogue with Pyongyang, which has largely cut off cooperation with the South in recent years.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said the physical removal of the loudspeakers from the border was another 'practical measure' aimed at easing tensions between the war-divided Koreas and that it does not affect the South's military readiness.
Lee Kyung-ho, a spokesperson for the ministry, didn't share specific details on how the removed loudspeakers will be stored or whether they could be quickly redeployed to the border if tensions flare again between the Koreas. There were no discussions between the two militaries ahead of the South's decision to remove the speakers, Lee said during a briefing.
North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didn't immediately comment on the South Korean step.
The South's previous conservative government resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a yearslong pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign.
The speakers blasted propaganda messages and K-pop songs, a playlist clearly designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kim's government has been intensifying a campaign to eliminate the influence of South Korean pop culture and language among the population in a bid to strengthen his family's dynastic rule.
The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns further heightened tensions already inflamed by North Korea's advancing nuclear program and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States and their trilateral security cooperation with Japan.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, a liberal who took office in June after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoon's hard-line policies and shunned dialogue.
But Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, rebuffed overtures by Lee's government last week, saying that Seoul's 'blind trust' in the country's alliance with the U.S. and hostility toward North Korea make it no different from its conservative predecessor. Her comments implied that North Korea — now preoccupied with its expanding cooperation with Russia over the war in Ukraine – feels no urgency to resume diplomacy with Seoul and Washington anytime soon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump takes an unexpected walk on the White House roof to survey new projects
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's day began typically enough, with a television interview and a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Then it took an unexpected and unusual turn when he appeared on the roof of the White House's West Wing. Late Tuesday morning, Donald Trump emerged from a door connected to the State Dining Room and stepped onto the roof above the press briefing room and west colonnade that walls the Rose Garden. He spent nearly 20 minutes surveying the rooftop and the grounds below, including a newly paved makeover of the Rose Garden. Reporters, tipped off by the out-of-the-ordinary positioning of snipers above the Oval Office, shouted questions from below. One called out: 'Sir, why are you on the roof?' 'Taking a little walk,' Trump shouted back. 'It's good for your health.' Trump walked with a small group that included James McCrery, architect of the newly announced $200 million ballroom project. They moved slowly, with Trump frequently gesturing and pointing at the roof and grounds. Several times, he wandered toward the corner nearest the press corps, waving and cupping his hands to shout responses to shouted questions. At one point, he said he was looking at 'another way to spend my money for this country.' Later, near the end of his appearance on the roof, Trump was asked what he was going to build. He quipped, 'Nuclear missiles.' The unexpected walk on the rooftop comes as Trump looks to leave a lasting footprint on what's often referred to as 'The People's House.' He has substantially redecorated the Oval Office through the addition of golden flourishes and cherubs, presidential portraits and other items and installed massive flagpoles on the north and south lawns to fly the American flag. And last week, his administration announced that construction on a massive ballroom will begin in September and be ready before Trump 's term ends in early 2029. While Trump appeared on the West Wing, the White House has said the ballroom will be where the 'small, heavily changed, and reconstructed East Wing currently sits.' While rare, there have been times through the years where presidents ventured out onto — and even slept on — the White House roof. To promote renewable energy, President Jimmy Carter installed 32 solar panels on the West Wing roof in the 1970s. The panels were removed during the Reagan administration. In 1910, President William Howard Taft had a sleeping porch built on the roof to escape Washington's hot summer nights.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Anti-Palestinian racism report calls for Canada to recognize May 15 as Nakba Day
A new report from the Islamophobia Research Hub at York University calls on governments across Canada to increase oversight on how universities, schools, police forces and Parliament deal with the recent spike in instances of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism. The report also calls on all levels of government in Canada to officially recognize May 15 as Nakba Day. Palestinians mark the day after Israel declared independence in 1948 as the beginning of the destruction of their homeland. "Provincial governments should develop curriculum, train staff and educate students on Palestinian culture, identity and history, including the history of the Nakba," the report published Wednesday said. It also wants all levels of government to "recognize and adopt" a definition of anti-Palestinian racism (APR) "as a distinct and detrimental form of racism that operates at multiple levels of state and society." The director of the research hub, Nadia Hasan, an assistant professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies at York University, said recognizing both Nakba Day and an official definition for APR would set Canada apart from other countries. "These are important things for Canada to take very seriously," Hasan said. "I think it would be a first and an important step for Canada to lead on." The report examines the increase in Islamophobic verbal and physical attacks directed at Arab and Palestinian Canadians since the beginning of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. The war was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities and military bases near Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, including more than 700 civilians, and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's military response has devastated the tiny, crowded enclave, killing more than 61,000 people — mostly civilians — according to Palestinian health authorities. The report says its findings are based on interviews conducted virtually with 16 Canadian community-based organizations that focus on addressing Islamophobia, APR and anti-Arab racism. Media reports were also used. The report does not include any first-hand accounts from victims or injured parties. Recommendations and calling out the CBC The report calls for greater oversight of post-secondary institutions by striking "advisory tables" made up of students and faculty to develop strategies for colleges and universities to use in combatting discrimination on campus. The authors of the report also call for those institutions to undergo third-party reviews of how they responded to incidents of Islamophobia and campus protests against the war in Gaza. They say school boards across Canada should also face province-wide reviews to determine how schools have dealt with incidents of anti-Palestinian racism and examine "cases that were insufficiently or never investigated." Aside from the increased scrutiny on universities, colleges and school boards across the county, the report wants to establish provincial and territorial "hate crime accountability units." The units would allow people alleging they have been the victims of discrimination to "report directly about law enforcement agencies' mishandling of hate-motivated crime cases." The report also calls for Canada's public broadcaster to be "reviewed to ensure fair and balanced coverage of Palestinian perspectives." This external review, the report says, should probe the possibility that CBC is disproportionately "rejecting Palestinian guest commentators" leading to biased media coverage. The report provides two reasons for its focus on CBC. The first is a report by a former employee who alleged she faced backlash for pitching "stories that would bring a balanced perspective" to the war in Gaza. The second reason is a letter sent to CBC signed by more than 500 members of the Racial Equity Media Collective asking the public broadcaster to "address an apparent pattern of anti-Palestinian bias, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism within the corporation's news and documentary culture." CBC's head of public affairs, Chuck Thompson, said an external review is not necessary because CBC is already accountable to the independent CBC Ombudsman, Maxime Bertrand, who regularly reviews complaints about the corporation's journalism. "CBC News has amplified countless Palestinian voices in our ongoing coverage of the conflict in Gaza," he said. "There are now thousands of stories we've published and broadcast about Israel and Gaza since 2023, all archived here … we think the work speaks for itself." The York University report references CBC News journalism covering dozens of instances of anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian racism. A policy for MPs The report is also calling on Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein, who administers the Conflict of Interest Act and the code of conduct for MPs, to be given increased responsibilities. The commissioner, the report says, "should develop a clear and enforceable policy on how parliamentarians are to be held accountable when they disseminate disinformation, especially … when such acts target marginalized communities." It provides only one example of an MP allegedly spreading disinformation, a post on X by Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman. The post includes the line: "Stickers with ❤️s glorifying terror on campus popped up today at UBC." The report notes the stickers were falsely associated with the UBC Social Justice Centre. CBC News has reached out to the Official Opposition for reaction to the allegation but has yet to receive a response. The 15 recommendations contained in the report also call on the federal government to address issues with the temporary resident visa program for refugees fleeing Gaza and probe alleged Israeli foreign interference in Canada. A Senate report released November 2023 found Islamophobia remains a persistent problem in Canada and concrete action is required to reverse the growing tide of hate across the country. The report, the first of its kind in Canada, took a year and involved 21 public meetings and 138 witnesses. It said incidents of Islamophobia are a daily reality for many Muslims and that one in four Canadians do not trust Muslims. Police and advocacy organizations have also reported increases in antisemitic incidents. In the spring, B'nai Brith Canada reported that in 2024 the total number of reported cases of acts of hatred targeting Jews had reached a record high of 6,219 incidents.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Antisemitism's newest safe space: Teachers' unions
At Nysmith School in Virginia, three Jewish siblings were expelled after their parents notified the headmaster about the relentless antisemitic bullying faced by one of the daughters. At Concord-Carlisle High School in Massachusetts, students gave Nazi salutes in school hallways, divided themselves into teams called 'Team Auschwitz' and 'Team Hamas' during athletic games, drew swastikas in notebooks and on school property and told Jewish students to 'go to the gas chamber.' At Etiwanda School District in California, a 12-year-old Jewish student was beaten by another student, and when she called for help, she was told to 'shut [her] stupid Jewish ass up.' You have likely seen the recent onslaught of antisemitism in K-12 schools. But is it surprising that Jewish and Israeli K-12 students are experiencing antisemitism in schools, when so many teachers unions are promoting antisemitic curricula and engaging in anti-Israel political advocacy? Nor should it be surprising that, across the country, Jewish teachers are facing the same antisemitism, only from their own peers, employers and the very people who are supposed to be protecting them from this kind of harassment in the first place — their unions. In many instances, teachers unions play a role in curriculum development, resolve disputes between teachers and administrators and address issues related to school resources. Unions are also the bargaining representative of teachers. As such, federal labor law imposes on a union the legal duty to fairly represent all its employees. Unions cannot choose to favor one protected identity over another or facilitate discrimination against a group of its members. By developing antisemitic curricula and encouraging teachers to include discriminatory materials and propaganda in the classroom, the bias is clear. The Massachusetts Teachers Association, the state's largest teacher union, released a curriculum resource list earlier this year whose materials on the Israel-Palestine conflict not only heavily favored the anti-Israel narrative, but were also outwardly antisemitic. They included, for example, a poster that read, 'Zionists f— off' and a replica of the Star of David made out of folded dollar bills. When some union members pushed back against this, the union's board of directors claimed that the protesters were 'weaponizing' antisemitism to 'suppress learning about the Palestinians.' Three thousand miles away in California, unions have come under fire for similar actions. Last year, the United Teachers of Los Angeles union tried to implement a vehemently antisemitic and one-sided 'liberated ethnic studies curriculum' that identifies Israel as a 'colonialist,' and 'settler state,' created through 'genocide,' 'ethnic cleansing' and 'apartheid.' The Oakland Teachers Association encouraged teachers to bring unauthorized materials — including a book for elementary students with the lesson, 'I is for Intifada, Intifada is Arabic for rising up for what is right, if you are a kid or a grown-up!' — into the classroom, and vowed to protect teachers who faced discipline for doing so. Following in their neighbor's footsteps, the California Teachers Association recently opposed a bill that would strengthen the state's capacity to prevent and respond to antisemitism. The bill, which passed the state assembly unanimously, would strengthen anti-discrimination protections, increase accountability for schools and districts, establish California's first-ever State Antisemitism Coordinator to lead statewide efforts, and more. Opponents of the bill claim that it would be 'weaponized to silence critical perspectives on Palestine and global injustice and sets a troubling precedent for censorship in our state.' This kind of underhandedness isn't just happening at the state level. The most prominent national teachers union — in fact, the largest labor union in the country — is the National Education Association. Its annual Representative Assembly debated last month whether Jewish American Heritage Month was worth recognizing. Attendees discredited rates of antisemitism in schools. Members also endorsed a proposal to cut ties with the Anti-Defamation League, which was ultimately unsuccessful. According to a joint letter from numerous Jewish organizations to National Education Association leadership, Jewish attendees who spoke out against the resolution were harassed and ostracized, left fearing for their safety, and felt abandoned by their union. Through these actions, teachers unions are putting all other identities above 'Jewish.' They are saying that discrimination and harassment is okay, as long as it's against one of the Jewish members. Not only are actions such as these — actions by the group that is tasked with protecting its members — morally reprehensible, they are illegal. When a union violates its duty to fairly represent the interests of its Jewish employees, it also violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unfortunately, teachers unions are not unique cases. Jewish union members in every sector are feeling isolated as labor unions continue to adopt more anti-Zionist approaches in their workplace, as evidenced in Brandeis Center's recent legal claims brought against the unions of New York Legal Assistance Group and the Association of Legal Aid Attorneys. From posters that supported Hamas's Oct. 7 massacre to retaliatory expulsions, Jewish union members are being shunned or outwardly harassed, their concerns silenced and their heritage spat on. They are being told that they are not worthy of protection because of where they are from and who they are. Teachers unions have extraordinary power to make positive change, including the power to fight antisemitism now and in future generations. They must acknowledge their role in molding young minds and take responsibility for protecting children from bigotry in the classroom. Without action by union leaders to discourage the use of antisemitic materials and language, Jewish teachers feel ostracized in union spaces, and Jewish children will feel unsafe in their own classrooms. But it's not just the unions: Parents, educators, policymakers and community leaders must insist on zero tolerance for antisemitism in our schools and unions alike, including ensuring curricula are free from bias and propaganda. If we fail to act now, we allow hatred to shape our children's education and their future. Kenneth L. Marcus is the chairman and CEO of The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and the former assistant secretary for Civil Rights at the United States Department of Education under two administrations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
