‘It is a practical measure that can help ease inter-Korean tensions without affecting the military’s readiness posture,’ Ministry of National Defense told repor
The administration of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has started removing the loudspeakers used to blast propaganda information about the outside world into North Korea.
The Ministry of National Defense said in a statement on Monday that it was working to dismantle the sound projection system along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) with North Korea, as ordered by Lee.
“It is a practical measure that can help ease inter-Korean tensions without affecting the military’s readiness posture,” the ministry told reporters, according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency.
The removal of the fixed speakers, numbering about 20, is expected to be completed by week’s end, ministry spokesperson Col. Lee Kyung-ho said at a press conference update on the measure.
The decision was made by the president without consultations with Pyongyang, the colonel said.
When asked whether Pyongyang was taking action to remove its fixed speakers in return, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it had not detected any such activity by the North.
“North Korea appears to be carrying out maintenance work on its loudspeakers, but there were no signs of dismantling them. … No unusual movement by the North Korean military has been detected so far,” the spokesperson said.
Lee Seeks Dialogue
On June 11, the president ordered the suspension of propaganda broadcasts into North Korea that criticized the communist regime as it looked to revive stalled dialogue with its neighbor. He also banned freedom activists in the south from sending balloons of anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the north.
Lee’s administration said the actions, which were touted as part of his election campaign, were an effort to thaw inter-Korean relations and reduce tension along the border. The North also stopped its broadcasts, following the South’s lead, according to South Korean newspaper Korea JoonAng Daily.
Tensions have been high since 2023, when the North shunned dialogue with the administration of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Pyongyang launched thousands of hot-air balloons full of trash and feces into the south and declared that the two Koreas are two separate “hostile” countries while moving to dismantle symbols of inter-Korean relations and unification.
By Melanie Sun
