South Korea dismantles border loudspeakers to ease tensions with N Korea

As the new government under President Lee Jae-myung attempts to ease strained relations with Pyongyang, South Korean authorities have begun removing loudspeakers blaring anti-North Korean broadcasts along the nation’s border, according to Seoul’s Ministry of National Defence.

The military has started removing the loudspeakers, according to Lee Kyung-ho, a spokesman for the South Korean Defense Ministry, who spoke to reporters on Monday.

In order to resume stalled talks with its neighbor, Lee’s administration immediately turned off propaganda broadcasts criticizing the North Korean regime in June.

However, North and South Korea recently rejected the requests and said it had no interest in speaking with South and South Korea.

Because the Korean War of 1950-1953 ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, and relations have deteriorated over the years, the two countries continue to be technically at war.

According to the ministry’s statement on Monday, “it is a practical measure aimed at easing tensions with the North, provided that such actions do not compromise the military’s state of readiness.”

By the end of the week, he added, but he did not specify how many would be removed. All loudspeakers set up along the border will be removed.

In a bid to “restore trust,” President Lee, who was recently elected after his predecessor was impeached over an abortive martial law declaration, had ordered the military to stop the broadcasts.

In the wake of Russia’s massive invasion of Ukraine, Seoul had taken a hard line against Pyongyang, which has since become even more close to Moscow. This was at one of their lowest relations in years.

In response to a wave of trash-filled balloons being flown south by Pyongyang, the previous government started the broadcasts last year.

Lee, however, promised to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and improve relations with North Korea.

North Korea has turned down pursuing a dialogue with its neighbor despite his diplomatic prowess.

Nothing is a more serious miscalculation than the Korean Republic, Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un’s sister, said last week using the acronym for South Korea’s official name, Republic of Korea. “If the ROK… expected to reverse all the results it had made with a few sentimental words.