South Korean authorities have begun removing loudspeakers that broadcast anti-North Korea messages along the country’s border, marking a shift in policy under President Lee Jae-myung’s administration. The move aims to ease tensions with Pyongyang, which has drawn closer to Moscow following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to Lee Kyung-ho, spokesman of South Korea’s Defence Ministry, “Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers.” This practical measure is intended to help reduce tensions between the two Koreas without compromising the military’s state of readiness. All loudspeakers set up along the border will be dismantled by the end of the week.
The decision to remove the loudspeakers comes after President Lee ordered the military to stop broadcasts criticizing the North Korean regime in June, as part of efforts to revive stalled dialogue with its neighbor. However, North Korea recently rebuffed these overtures, stating it has no interest in talking to South Korea. The two countries remain technically at war, having never signed a peace treaty after the 1950-53 Korean War.
In response to North Korea’s rejection, Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said, “If the ROK… expected that it could reverse all the results it had made with a few sentimental words, nothing is [a] more serious miscalculation….” Despite this, Lee has expressed willingness to seek talks with North Korea without conditions, following a deep freeze in relations under his predecessor.
The previous government initiated the broadcasts last year in response to North Korea’s barrage of trash-filled balloons flown southward. Lee’s administration has promised to improve relations with North Korea and reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula. As part of this effort, the Ministry of National Defence emphasized that the removal of loudspeakers is a tangible step towards easing tensions.