Overview

• South Korea’s defense ministry said it halted the military-run 'Voice of Freedom' radio as part of efforts to ease tensions with Pyongyang.
• The suspension is the first since the broadcast was revived in May 2010 after the Cheonan sinking, according to official statements and media reports.
• The program has been a long-standing psychological-operations tool carrying items such as K-pop, news critical of the North’s regime, and comparisons of the two Koreas.
• The move follows President Lee Jae Myung’s earlier orders to stop and dismantle border loudspeakers, alongside the National Intelligence Service’s July halt of its broadcasts.
• North Korea has publicly rejected Seoul’s outreach and said it is not interested in dialogue despite these steps by the new administration.