Overview

• South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff ordered the suspension of anti-North loudspeaker broadcasts along the DMZ, ending nearly round-the-clock propaganda blasts.
• The Defence Ministry said the halt fulfils President Lee Jae-myung’s promise to rebuild trust and pursue peace on the Korean Peninsula.
• The Unification Ministry urged civic groups to cease anti-North leaflet launches, warning that such campaigns threaten border-area residents’ safety.
• These broadcasts had resumed in June 2024 in response to Pyongyang’s trash-laden balloon campaign, reflecting a cycle of psychological warfare that dates back to 2016.
• North Korea has yet to comment on the suspension or Lee’s conciliatory overtures, leaving reciprocal de-escalation uncertain.