South Korea’s military deactivated anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeakers along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), marking President Lee Jae-myung’s inaugural policy shift aimed at easing tensions with North Korea, according to AP News.
The Defence Ministry confirmed the move on Wednesday as part of efforts “to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.” This ends a year-long resumption of broadcasts initiated under ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol, who deployed the speakers after North Korea had launched approximately 7,000 trash-laden balloons across the border.
The balloon campaign, which Pyongyang framed as retaliation for South Korean activists sending leaflets and K-pop USB sticks northward, saw debris land on Seoul’s presidential compound.
South Korea’s subsequent loudspeaker broadcasts blended criticism of Kim Jong Un’s leadership with banned K-pop music, a deliberate provocation targeting a campaign to eliminate South Korean cultural influence. Residents in border towns suffered collateral disruption, complaining of North Korea’s retaliatory broadcasts featuring “howling animals and pounding gongs.”
President Lee, who pledged during his campaign to halt the “unnecessary tensions” caused by the speakers, concurrently urged activists to cease leaflet drops, with Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam warning such acts “could heighten tensions and threaten lives” in border areas.
In January 2024, Kim Jong Un declared South Korea a “primary foe and invariable principal enemy”, ordering constitutional amendments to reflect aspirations to “occupy, subjugate and reclaim” the South in wartime. He dismantled agencies dedicated to inter-Korean dialogue, destroyed reunification monuments, and severed cross-border railways.
However, President Lee’s inaugural vow to “reopen communication channels” faces formidable hurdles, as North Korea prioritises military cooperation with Russia and has rejected dialogue with Seoul and Washington since the collapse of 2019 nuclear talks.
