South Korea halts anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts along border to 'restore trust'

Published on 11/06/2025 - 12:35 GMT+2

South Korea's subject said connected Wednesday it had stopped broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda done loudspeakers on nan border, arsenic portion of nan caller wide government's bid to easiness tensions and "restore trust" betwixt nan rivals.

The move fulfilled a run committedness from South Korea’s caller wide president, Lee Jae-myung, who took agency past week aft winning an early predetermination to switch ousted blimpish Yoon Suk Yeol.

Lee has vowed to amended relations pinch Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoon’s hardline policies and shunned speech pinch Seoul arsenic a result.

South Korea's defence ministry said suspending nan broadcasts was portion of efforts "to reconstruct spot successful inter-Korean relations and beforehand bid connected nan Korean Peninsula".

North Korea, which is highly delicate to immoderate extracurricular disapproval of its authoritarian activity and its ruler, Kim Jong-un, has not commented connected nan move by Seoul.

The broadcasts had antecedently been paused for six years, but they resumed successful June past twelvemonth successful retaliation for North Korea flying rubbish-filled balloons complete nan border.

Between May and November past year, North Korea flew astir 7,000 balloons toward South Korea successful 32 abstracted events to driblet substances specified arsenic wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigaret butts and moreover manure, according to Seoul.

Pyongyang said that its balloon run came aft South Korean activists sent complete balloons filled pinch anti-North Korean leaflets, arsenic good arsenic USB sticks filled pinch songs and dramas celebrated successful nan South.

Psychological warfare

The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fuelled by North Korea’s increasing atomic ambitions and South Korean efforts to grow associated subject exercises pinch nan US and bolster three-way information practice pinch Japan.

During nan caller South Korean predetermination campaign, Lee promised to halt nan broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for residents successful separator towns successful nan South.

Those residents had complained astir North Korea's retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and different irritating sounds.

In a briefing connected Monday, South Korea's unification ministry besides called for civilian activists successful nan state to extremity flying anti-North propaganda leaflets crossed nan border.

Such activities "could heighten tensions connected nan Korean Peninsula and frighten nan lives and information of residents successful separator areas," a spokesperson for nan ministry said.

Despite Lee's vow to reopen connection channels pinch Pyongyang, nan likelihood of an early resumption of speech betwixt nan rivals remains low.

North Korea has consistently rejected specified offers from nan South and nan US since 2019, erstwhile atomic talks betwixt Washington and Pyongyang collapsed complete sanctions-related disputes.

Pyongyang's overseas argumentation privilege is now pinch Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and ample amounts of subject instrumentality successful caller months for its warfare pinch Ukraine.