Military says halting loudspeaker broadcasts depend on N. Korea's actions

This photo shows what appears to be a South Korean truck carrying a mobile loudspeaker near the inter-Korean border in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, June 10, 2024. Yonhap

South Korea's military said Monday whether to suspend anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts along the border would depend on North Korea's actions, amid prospects that the new government will seek to mend ties and return to dialogue with the North.

South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts near the heavily fortified border a year ago, in response to the North's repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border. The North has also blared loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South, causing inconveniences to border residents.

"Our military decided on the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year ... we are conducting it in a flexible manner in conjunction with the strategic and operational situation," Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) told a regular press briefing, when asked about the possibility of halting such an operation.

President Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week, has vowed to suspend anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns and loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea as he seeks to improve frayed inter-Korean relations.

Lee, the JCS official, reaffirmed suspending the loudspeaker broadcasts would depend on North Korea's behavior, while leaving open the possibility for such a change.

"A comprehensive, government-level review is necessary in consideration of the security situation," he said.

The JCS official said the North has continued to conduct loudspeaker broadcasts toward the South both day and night in the border areas as well as the Yellow Sea.

Earlier in the day, the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs, expressed regret over anti-Pyongyang leafleting by a group of abductee families in an apparent shift of stance following Lee's inauguration.

It marked the first time the ministry has called for a halt to leaflet campaigns since the Constitutional Court ruled the law banning them unconstitutional in September 2023, citing freedom of expression.