Civic groups urge post-election gov't to halt leaflet, loudspeaker campaigns against N. Korea
This photo shows Army personnel removing loudspeakers in the civilian control zone of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, May 1, 2018. Yonhap
Civic groups involved in inter-Korean exchanges called on the post-election government in South Korea on Tuesday to halt leaflet and loudspeaker campaigns against North Korea in the border area in an effort to ease inter-Korean tension.
Three civic groups, including the NGO Council for Inter-Korea Cooperation and the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation, issued the call at a joint event ahead of the June 3 presidential election.
The groups said the newly elected government must actively work to prevent armed conflict with North Korea and ease inter-Korean tensions by suspending anti-North leaflet campaigns and loudspeaker broadcasts along the border, as well as military drills.
They also proposed restoring severed communication lines between Seoul and Pyongyang, resuming inter-Korean military talks and reinstating the September 19 Military Agreement.
Last year, South Korea fully suspended the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement aimed at easing military tensions in the wake of North Korea's trash balloon campaigns and attempts to disrupt GPS signals near border islands.
The groups also suggested renaming the unification ministry to the "inter-Korean relations ministry" and transferring its responsibilities for supporting North Korean defectors and addressing North Korean human rights to other government agencies, accusing the ministry of failing to fully fulfill its duties.