South Korea has made a major shift in its policy towards North Korea, as the country’s military said Monday that it had begun removing loudspeakers along its border with North to reduce tensions.
What were the speakers used for?
They were used to blast anti-North Korean propaganda across the border. Notably, the South’s new government halted the broadcasts in June in a conciliatory gesture. The aim is to rebuild trust and revive dialogue with Pyongyang.
Seoul calls this move a “practical step” to ease tensions between the two countries. The South Korean Defense Ministry claimed the move would not affect the South’s military readiness.
Lee Kyung-ho, South Korean Ministry spokesperson, did not say how the loudspeakers will be stored or whether they could be quickly set up again if tensions rise. He also said that there were no talks with the North before the decision was made. After South Korea’s move, Pyongyang has not yet responded.
The previous government had restarted the loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year, after North Korea sent balloons filled with trash into the South. The speakers played propaganda messages. The aim was to annoy North Korea’s leadership. Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un has been cracking down on South Korean pop culture to maintain strict control over its population.
These broadcasts have reportedly strained ties, already tense due to North Korea’s growing nuclear program and increased South Korea–US–Japan military cooperation.
Meanwhile, the South Korean President has promised to improve relations with Pyongyang. However, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, recently dismissed Lee’s approach, accusing Seoul of maintaining the same hostile stance as the previous government.
North Korea, focused on strengthening its ties with Russia amid the war in Ukraine, appears in no hurry to restart talks with South Korea or the United States.
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