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Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
South Korea halts anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts near border
SEOUL, June 11 (UPI) -- South Korea suspended its propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the border to North Korea, officials said Tuesday, in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang under the administration of newly elected President Lee Jae-Myung. Halting the broadcasts is "a measure to fulfill the public pledge to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said in a text message to reporters. The move came roughly a year after Seoul resumed the broadcasts in response to a series of provocations by North Korea that included floating thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border. The broadcasts included news, K-pop music, and information about democracy and life in South Korea. The North responded at times by broadcasting bizarre noises such as metallic screeching and animal sounds, disturbing residents in areas near the DMZ. Lee ordered the suspensions, his office confirmed later on Tuesday. Spokeswoman Kang Yoo-jung said in a briefing that Lee "made this decision as a preemptive measure to ease tensions in a situation where there have been no recent major provocations by North Korea." "This is a measure to ease the military standoff between the South and the North and to open the way to restoring mutual trust." It was also meant to "alleviate the suffering of residents in border areas who have suffered due to North Korea's noise broadcasts," she said. Lee, who won a snap election on June 3 to replace impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, campaigned on improving frayed inter-Korean relations. He vowed to suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts as well as prevent defector groups from floating balloons with anti-Pyongyang leaflets and USB drives containing South Korean media over the border. On Monday, the Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations called for a stop to the leaflet campaigns after an activist group sent balloons in early June. "We strongly request that the spreading of leaflets be stopped, as this could create tension in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and endanger the lives and safety of the people in the border areas," ministry spokesman Koo Byung-sam said at a press briefing. Koo said the ministry would work with agencies and related organizations to ensure compliance with existing regulations on leaflet distribution. The Unification Ministry will also "actively cooperate in discussing amendments to the National Assembly's Inter-Korean Relations Development Act," Koo said. Defectors and human rights activists have argued that the communications across the border provide a vital source of information about the outside world to North Korean citizens. The new government's stance is a departure from the Yoon administration, which took a hard line against North Korea and saw relations deteriorate amid a series of back-and-forth Cold War-style provocations in border areas. Lee has said he would continue to strengthen military cooperation with the United States but pledged to reopen communications with Seoul's recalcitrant neighbor. "We will prepare for North Korea's nuclear weapons and military provocations, while opening channels of communication with North Korea and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation," Lee said in a speech at his swearing-in ceremony. During his campaign, Lee also vowed to restore an inter-Korean military pact aimed at defusing military tensions and avoiding accidental conflicts along the border. It was signed during a period of detente in 2018 but scrapped by both countries last year. Copyright 2025 UPI News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
South Korea halts anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts near border
SEOUL, June 11 (UPI) -- South Korea suspended its propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the border to North Korea, officials said Tuesday, in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang under the administration of newly elected President Lee Jae-Myung. Halting the broadcasts is "a measure to fulfill the public pledge to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said in a text message to reporters. The move came roughly a year after Seoul resumed the broadcasts in response to a series of provocations by North Korea that included floating thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border. The broadcasts included news, K-pop music, and information about democracy and life in South Korea. The North responded at times by broadcasting bizarre noises such as metallic screeching and animal sounds, disturbing residents in areas near the DMZ. Lee ordered the suspensions, his office confirmed later on Tuesday. Spokeswoman Kang Yoo-jung said in a briefing that Lee "made this decision as a preemptive measure to ease tensions in a situation where there have been no recent major provocations by North Korea." "This is a measure to ease the military standoff between the South and the North and to open the way to restoring mutual trust." It was also meant to "alleviate the suffering of residents in border areas who have suffered due to North Korea's noise broadcasts," she said. Lee, who won a snap election on June 3 to replace impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, campaigned on improving frayed inter-Korean relations. He vowed to suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts as well as prevent defector groups from floating balloons with anti-Pyongyang leaflets and USB drives containing South Korean media over the border. On Monday, the Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations called for a stop to the leaflet campaigns after an activist group sent balloons in early June. "We strongly request that the spreading of leaflets be stopped, as this could create tension in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and endanger the lives and safety of the people in the border areas," ministry spokesman Koo Byung-sam said at a press briefing. Koo said the ministry would work with agencies and related organizations to ensure compliance with existing regulations on leaflet distribution. The Unification Ministry will also "actively cooperate in discussing amendments to the National Assembly's Inter-Korean Relations Development Act," Koo said. Defectors and human rights activists have argued that the communications across the border provide a vital source of information about the outside world to North Korean citizens. The new government's stance is a departure from the Yoon administration, which took a hard line against North Korea and saw relations deteriorate amid a series of back-and-forth Cold War-style provocations in border areas. Lee has said he would continue to strengthen military cooperation with the United States but pledged to reopen communications with Seoul's recalcitrant neighbor. "We will prepare for North Korea's nuclear weapons and military provocations, while opening channels of communication with North Korea and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation," Lee said in a speech at his swearing-in ceremony. During his campaign, Lee also vowed to restore an inter-Korean military pact aimed at defusing military tensions and avoiding accidental conflicts along the border. It was signed during a period of detente in 2018 but scrapped by both countries last year.
UPI
2 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
South Korea halts anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts near border
South Korea suspended propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the border to North Korea, President Lee Jae-myung's office said Tuesday, in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo SEOUL, June 11 (UPI) -- South Korea suspended its propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the border to North Korea, officials said Tuesday, in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang under the administration of newly elected President Lee Jae-Myung. Halting the broadcasts is "a measure to fulfill the public pledge to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said in a text message to reporters. The move came roughly a year after Seoul resumed the broadcasts in response to a series of provocations by North Korea that included floating thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border. The broadcasts included news, K-pop music, and information about democracy and life in South Korea. The North responded at times by broadcasting bizarre noises such as metallic screeching and animal sounds, disturbing residents in areas near the DMZ. Lee ordered the suspensions, his office confirmed later on Tuesday. Spokeswoman Kang Yoo-jung said in a briefing that Lee "made this decision as a preemptive measure to ease tensions in a situation where there have been no recent major provocations by North Korea." "This is a measure to ease the military standoff between the South and the North and to open the way to restoring mutual trust." It was also meant to "alleviate the suffering of residents in border areas who have suffered due to North Korea's noise broadcasts," she said. Lee, who won a snap election on June 3 to replace impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, campaigned on improving frayed inter-Korean relations. He vowed to suspend the loudspeaker broadcasts as well as prevent defector groups from floating balloons with anti-Pyongyang leaflets and USB drives containing South Korean media over the border. On Monday, the Unification Ministry in charge of inter-Korean relations called for a stop to the leaflet campaigns after an activist group sent balloons in early June. "We strongly request that the spreading of leaflets be stopped, as this could create tension in the situation on the Korean Peninsula and endanger the lives and safety of the people in the border areas," ministry spokesman Koo Byung-sam said at a press briefing. Koo said the ministry would work with agencies and related organizations to ensure compliance with existing regulations on leaflet distribution. The Unification Ministry will also "actively cooperate in discussing amendments to the National Assembly's Inter-Korean Relations Development Act," Koo said. Defectors and human rights activists have argued that the communications across the border provide a vital source of information about the outside world to North Korean citizens. The new government's stance is a departure from the Yoon administration, which took a hard line against North Korea and saw relations deteriorate amid a series of back-and-forth Cold War-style provocations in border areas. Lee has said he would continue to strengthen military cooperation with the United States but pledged to reopen communications with Seoul's recalcitrant neighbor. "We will prepare for North Korea's nuclear weapons and military provocations, while opening channels of communication with North Korea and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and cooperation," Lee said in a speech at his swearing-in ceremony. During his campaign, Lee also vowed to restore an inter-Korean military pact aimed at defusing military tensions and avoiding accidental conflicts along the border. It was signed during a period of detente in 2018 but scrapped by both countries last year.
Korea Herald
4 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Seoul urges end to anti-North leaflets, signals policy shift
The Unification Ministry expressed regret over the launch of anti-North Korea leaflets and 'strongly urged' an end to such actions, signaling a shift in stance on the issue under President Lee Jae-myung's administration. The Unification Ministry, responsible for inter-Korean issues, announced its position Monday on the spread of leaflets by South Korean civic groups across the inter-Korean border for the first time since the inauguration of the liberal Lee administration on June 4. 'We express regret over the fact that, on June 2, the Association of Families of Abductees to North Korea dispersed leaflets for the third time — following April 27 and May 8 —even though the Ministry of Unification had requested restraint,' Koo Byoung-sam, the ministry's spokesperson, said during a televised briefing. 'This could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas, so we strongly urge a halt to leaflet distribution.' The stance announced Monday notably marked a shift from the previous conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration that such launches could not be prevented on the grounds of freedom of expression. Speaking at the briefing, Koo further explained that the Ministry of Unification would continue to closely communicate with relevant agencies and related organizations to ensure adherence to regulations on leaflet distribution under existing laws, such as the Disaster and Safety Act and the Aviation Safety Act. The Unification Ministry 'will also actively cooperate in discussions on amendments to laws such as the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act in the National Assembly," Koo added. During his presidential campaign, then-presidential candidate Lee proposed that the two Koreas concurrently halt leaflet launches and loudspeaker broadcasting to prevent accidental clashes and reduce cross-border tensions. This is the first time a South Korean government has requested civic groups to halt anti-North Korea leaflet launches since the Constitutional Court ruled the anti-leaflet law unconstitutional in September 2023. The ruling nullified a provision banning such an act in the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act. Under the Yoon administration, the Unification Ministry had consistently stated that it approached the issue of sending leaflets to North Korea "in consideration of the Constitutional Court's decision to uphold freedom of expression." However, the Unification Ministry shifted to a more cautious stance after Yoon declared martial law on December 3 to prevent accidents along the border. In mid-December, the Unification Ministry announced a changed position regarding spreading anti-North Korea sentiment across the inter-Korean border that could provoke inter-Korean tensions. The ministry stated, 'We will approach the issue with the utmost priority to the sensitivity of the current situation and the lives and safety of our citizens.'
