Latest news with #JCS
See - Sada Elbalad
3 hours ago
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
N. Korea Begins Dismantling Border Loudspeakers
Israa Farhan North Korea has begun dismantling some of its border propaganda loudspeakers in what appears to be its first reciprocal gesture towards South Korea since President Lee Jae Myung assumed office in June. According to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), South Korean forces observed North Korean troops removing the devices in certain frontline sections on Saturday morning. The JCS said it remains unclear whether the removal is taking place across the entire border and confirmed ongoing surveillance of related activity. Officials have not yet determined the total number of loudspeakers taken down, and Pyongyang has issued no public statement on the matter. The move follows Seoul's suspension of its own propaganda broadcasts in June as a practical measure to ease tensions, which prompted North Korea to halt its broadcasts the following day. South Korea's loudspeakers had been used to transmit K-pop music, news, and political messages across the border, while Pyongyang's devices emitted disruptive noise, often complained about by border residents. President Lee has signaled a shift from his predecessor's hard-line stance, halting broadcasts and urging civic groups to stop sending anti-North leaflets. He has also expressed willingness to meet North Korea's leadership without preconditions. Bilateral relations had sharply deteriorated in recent years, with North Korea deepening ties with Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and South Korea strengthening security cooperation with the United States and Japan. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier News Ayat Khaddoura's Final Video Captures Bombardment of Beit Lahia Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Arts & Culture Lebanese Media: Fayrouz Collapses after Death of Ziad Rahbani Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
North Korea dismantling loudspeakers at border — Seoul
North Korea has begun dismantling some of its border loudspeakers, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). It appears to be a reciprocal step after Seoul removed around 20 of its own devices earlier this week. Pyongyang had installed roughly 40 loudspeakers to transmit a mix of unsettling noises, from metallic scraping to eerie, ghost-like sounds, toward the South. These broadcasts had been a persistent irritant for residents in border areas such as Paju, Gimpo, and Yeoncheon for nearly a year. North Korea halted the noise campaign at midnight on June 12, hours after South Korea stopped its own loudspeaker broadcasts following an order from newly elected President Lee Jae-myung. Lee, who took office in June after a snap election, has sought to reverse years of escalating tension under his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol. Shortly after his inauguration, Lee suspended the South's cross-border propaganda campaign, which had featured K-pop, news, and political messages. He also urged civic groups to stop sending anti-North propaganda leaflets and signaled an openness to talks without preconditions. In 2018, the two Koreas dismantled all loudspeakers under the Panmunjom Declaration, but the agreement unraveled. The South had resumed loudspeaker operations in mid-2024 in response to Pyongyang sending thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border in retaliation for South Korean activists launching leaflets into the North. The broadcasts, capable of traveling more than 20 kilometers, were framed by Seoul as a way to deliver 'messages of light and hope' to the North's people and military. The new South Korean president has promised to end both the propaganda broadcasts and the leaflet campaigns. His predecessor, Yoon, was impeached in December and indicted on insurrection charges after briefly imposing martial law, citing a looming 'rebellion' by pro-Pyongyang forces in the opposition. Seoul and its key ally, Washington, have technically remained at war with Pyongyang since 1953. North Korea has repeatedly denounced joint military drills between South Korea and the United States over the past years, calling them rehearsals for an attack.
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hans India
North Korea begins dismantling border loudspeakers after South Korea's move
Seoul: North Korea on Saturday began dismantling some loudspeakers installed along the border for noise campaigns against South Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, just days after the South completed removing border loudspeakers to reduce inter-Korean tension. On Tuesday, South Korea completed dismantling its anti-Pyongyang loudspeakers along the heavily fortified border, after suspending propaganda broadcasts critical of the North on June 11 in line with President Lee Jae Myung's efforts to mend strained ties with the North. "Activities by the North Korean military removing loudspeakers against South Korea have been detected in parts of the front-line area since Saturday morning," the JCS said in a notice to reporters. The military said further verification is needed as to whether it will take place in all border areas, vowing to continue to monitor relevant movements by the North Korean military, Yonhap news agency reported. North Korea has long bristled against the military's loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflets sent by activists over fears of outside information that could pose a threat to its ruling regime. But under the former conservative Yoon Suk Yeol administration, South Korea turned on the loudspeaker campaign for the first time in six years in June last year as Pyongyang launched thousands of trash-carrying balloons across the border. Seoul had previously conducted the campaign on an on-and-off basis following North Korea's fourth nuclear test in 2016. Since taking office in June, Lee has taken measures to revive inter-Korean ties that remain severed since the North declared in late 2023 that the two Koreas are two separate "hostile" countries and moved to dismantle symbols of inter-Korean relations and unification. In addition to halting the military's loudspeaker broadcasts, Lee has called on civic groups to suspend their distribution of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, expressing hope that the reconciliatory gestures could pave the way for engagement with the North. Most recently, Seoul pushed back around half of some 40 field training exercises planned as part of the annual South Korea-US combined Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise set to take place later this month to September, citing "multiple factors." The decision came after North Korea denounced joint drills between the allies and accused the South of "blindly adhering" to its alliance with Washington. In response, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, South Korea's top point man on North Korea, said he will propose adjusting the combined military exercise to Lee.
DW
12 hours ago
- Politics
- DW
North Korea starts to dismantle border loudspeakers – DW – 08/09/2025
Pyongyang's move to take down its propaganda loudspeakers comes days after Seoul removed its own sound equipment in a bid to ease tensions on the peninsula. South Korea's military said on Saturday it had noticed North Korean troops dismantling some of their propaganda loudspeakers in parts of the border area. The action is one of the first reciprocal steps from Pyongyang since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June and began efforts to reopen talks with the North, including removing the South's own propaganda speakers. Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the dismantling began on Saturday morning in certain sections along the front line. "The South Korean military has detected North Korean troops dismantling propaganda loudspeakers in some parts along the front line from this morning," the JCS said in a statement. "It remains to be confirmed whether the devices have been removed across all regions, and the military will continue to monitor related activities," the statement added. Officials said it was not immediately clear how many loudspeakers had been taken down. North Korea has not confirmed the reports. Pyongyang, which is highly sensitive to outside criticism of its leadership and ruler Kim Jong Un, has not issued any public comment on the matter. In June, Seoul halted its own broadcasts as a "practical measure" to help ease tensions, prompting North Korea to stop theirs the next day. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The loudspeakers had been used by South Korea to play K-pop music and news reports across the border, while Pyongyang's devices emitted unsettling noises that South Korean residents said were a constant nuisance. Lee's administration has reversed the hard-line approach of his conservative predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who had authorised the broadcasts in 2024 in response to trash-filled balloons sent south by the North. The liberal president has also asked civic groups to stop sending anti-North leaflets across the border and has said he is willing to meet Pyongyang's leadership without preconditions. Relations between the two Koreas had reached one of their lowest points in years before Lee's election. The North had drawn closer to Moscow after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while the South had strengthened ties with Washington and Tokyo. The two countries remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Cross-border loudspeaker campaigns have been used repeatedly over the years during periods of heightened tension.
Korea Herald
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
N. Korea begins dismantling loudspeakers against S. Korea along border: JCS
North Korea on Saturday began dismantling loudspeakers installed along the border for noise campaigns against South Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The JCS said it detected the movement in parts of the front-line area, adding further verification is needed whether it will take place in all border areas. Earlier this week, South Korea completed dismantling its anti-Pyongyang loudspeakers along the heavily fortified border. (Yonhap)
