Latest news with #Pyongyang
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
North Korea responds to South Korea's bid to ease tensions
North Korea has begun dismantling some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, a move confirmed by South Korea 's military. This development follows South Korea's own removal of propaganda speakers earlier in the week, as both nations seek to de-escalate tensions. The loudspeaker broadcasts were part of Cold War -style psychological warfare, with North Korea blasting irritating sounds in response to South Korean propaganda. The current South Korean president, Lee Jae Myung, has aimed to improve relations with Pyongyang, halting South Korean transmissions in June, which prompted North Korea to cease its own broadcasts. Despite these de-escalation efforts, tensions could potentially rise again later this month with the planned large-scale combined military exercises between South Korea and the United States.
Russia Today
2 days 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.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
South Korea claims North Korea has removed speakers from tense border
North Korea has begun dismantling some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border, South Korea 's military confirmed on Saturday, following Seoul 's own removal of propaganda speakers in a concerted effort to de-escalate tensions. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff did not disclose the specific sites where the North Koreans were removing the equipment, nor was it immediately clear whether Pyongyang intended to take down all of its loudspeakers. This development follows recent months of complaints from South Korean border residents, who reported being subjected to irritating sounds, including howling animals and pounding gongs, blasted from North Korean speakers in a tit-for-tat response to Seoul's propaganda broadcasts. This latest development follows North Korea's cessation of its own broadcasts in June, a direct response to Seoul's new liberal president, Lee Jae Myung, halting South Korean transmissions. This initial step was seen as the first concrete measure by his government to ease friction between the long-divided rivals. South Korea's military commenced the removal of its border speakers on Monday, though details regarding their storage or potential rapid redeployment in the event of renewed tensions remain undisclosed. Pyongyang, known for its extreme sensitivity to any external criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, has yet to officially confirm the dismantling of its loudspeakers. South Korea's previous conservative government resumed daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year, following a yearslong pause, in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South. The speakers blasted propaganda messages and K-pop songs, a playlist designed to strike a nerve in Pyongyang, where Kim has been pushing an intense 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. Lee, who took office in June after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, wants 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 in late July, saying that Seoul's 'blind trust' in the country's alliance with the United States makes it no different from its conservative predecessor. She later issued a separate statement dismissing the Trump administration's intent to resume diplomacy on North Korea's denuclearization, suggesting that Pyongyang — now focused on expanding ties with Russia over the war in Ukraine — sees little urgency in resuming talks with Seoul or Washington. Tensions between the Koreas can possibly rise again later this month, when South Korea and the United States proceed with their annual large-scale combined military exercises, which begin on Aug. 18. North Korea labels the allies' joint drills as invasion rehearsals and often uses them as a pretext to dial up military demonstrations and weapons tests aimed at advancing its nuclear program.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
North Korea removing border loudspeakers: Seoul military
North Korean troops have started removing propaganda loudspeakers used to blare unsettling noises along the border, South Korea's military said Saturday, days after Seoul's new administration dismantled ones on its side of the frontier. The two countries had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, Seoul's military said in June after the election of President Lee Jae Myung, who is seeking to ease tensions with Pyongyang. South Korea's defence ministry on Monday said it had begun removing loudspeakers from its side of the border as "a practical measure aimed at helping ease tensions with the North". South Korea had been blaring K-pop and news reports to the North in response to Pyongyang transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean locals. But under Lee's administration, in June, Seoul halted the loudspeaker broadcasts and in turn, a day later, North Korea stopped their broadcasts as well. "The South Korean military has detected North Korean troops dismantling propaganda loudspeakers in some parts along the front line from this morning," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday 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," they added. Seoul had begun the loudspeaker broadcasts last year in response to a barrage of trash-filled balloons flown south by Pyongyang. The North had sent thousands of the balloons southwards at that time, saying they were retaliation for propaganda balloons launched by South Korean activists. Relations between the two Koreas had been at one of their lowest points in years, under the South's then-president Yoon Suk Yeol, with Seoul taking a hard line towards Pyongyang, which has drawn ever closer to Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lee has taken a different approach in dealing with the North since his June election, including requesting civic groups to stop sending anti-North propaganda leaflets. Lee has also said he would seek talks with the North without preconditions, following a deep freeze under his predecessor. The two countries technically remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. hs/mtp
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
North Korea removing border loudspeakers: Seoul military
The two countries had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone, Seoul's military said in June after the election of President Lee Jae Myung, who is seeking to ease tensions with Pyongyang. South Korea's defence ministry on Monday said it had begun removing loudspeakers from its side of the border as "a practical measure aimed at helping ease tensions with the North". South Korea had been blaring K-pop and news reports to the North in response to Pyongyang transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean locals. But under Lee's administration, in June, Seoul halted the loudspeaker broadcasts and in turn, a day later, North Korea stopped their broadcasts as well. "The South Korean military has detected North Korean troops dismantling propaganda loudspeakers in some parts along the front line from this morning," Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Saturday 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," they added. Seoul had begun the loudspeaker broadcasts last year in response to a barrage of trash-filled balloons flown south by Pyongyang. The North had sent thousands of the balloons southwards at that time, saying they were retaliation for propaganda balloons launched by South Korean activists. Relations between the two Koreas had been at one of their lowest points in years, under the South's then-president Yoon Suk Yeol, with Seoul taking a hard line towards Pyongyang, which has drawn ever closer to Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Lee has taken a different approach in dealing with the North since his June election, including requesting civic groups to stop sending anti-North propaganda leaflets. Lee has also said he would seek talks with the North without preconditions, following a deep freeze under his predecessor.
