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South Korea Suspends Border Loudspeaker Broadcasts to North Korea

The move reflects Lee Jae-myung’s pledge to rebuild trust with Pyongyang following a year of cross-border propaganda exchanges.

South Korean soldiers work on a loudspeaker that is set up for propaganda broadcasts during a military drill near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, in this handout picture provided by the Defense Ministry and released on June 9, 2024. The Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS /File Photo
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FILE - A South Korean military vehicle with loudspeakers is seen in front of the barbed-wire fence in Paju, near the border with North Korea, on Feb. 15, 2018.(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)
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Overview

  • President Lee Jae-myung ordered the military to halt anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts along the Demilitarized Zone at 2 p.m. on June 11 as his first initiative to ease inter-Korean tensions.
  • The broadcasts had been reactivated in July 2024 in retaliation for roughly 7,000 North Korean balloons carrying wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and manure into South Korea.
  • South Korea’s Defense Ministry said the suspension aims to fulfil a pledge to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.
  • The Unification Ministry also urged civilian activists to stop sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border, warning that such actions threaten the safety of border-area residents.
  • North Korea has not yet responded to the suspension, while President Lee has vowed to pursue dialogue and cooperation to improve bilateral ties.