South Korea halts propaganda broadcasts aimed at North Korea

A North Korean loudspeaker broadcasting into the South is seen next to a guard post, as viewed from the Odusan Unification Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Feb. 16. Yonhap

South Korea halted its propaganda broadcasts into North Korea, Wednesday, in a move aimed at reengaging with Pyongyang.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the broadcasts were suspended in the afternoon as part of "fulfilling a pledge with the public to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula."

The military had resumed the broadcasts last June in retaliation to the North’s launch of trash-filled balloons, which began in May. The loudspeakers aired news critical of the Kim Jong-un regime.

The decision comes as the Lee Jae-myung administration signals a major shift in its North Korea policy.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Unification called for a halt to anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns — seen as an initial step in the administration's broader effort to improve ties with the North.

Analysts say these measures reflects Lee’s broader strategy to reengage North Korea through dialogue, marking a sharp break from his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol’s hardline stance.

Unification officials recently contacted a civic group involved in anti-North Korea leaflet launches and urged an immediate halt, citing public safety concerns.

"The police are currently investigating the group for possible violations of disaster and aviation safety laws, and we are closely monitoring the outcome," a ministry official told reporters during a closed-door briefing, Tuesday.

The remarks came just one day after ministry spokesperson Koo Byung-sam expressed concerns over the leaflet campaigns for stoking inter-Korean tensions.

"We regret that the association of families of victims abducted by North Korea carried out a third leaflet launch on June 2, following similar incidents on April 27 and May 8, despite our repeated calls for restraint," Koo said. "Such actions risk escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and endanger the lives and safety of residents in border areas."

The ministry’s firm stance marks a sharp departure from its approach under the Yoon administration, which had defended the leaflet campaigns on free speech grounds and largely avoided intervention. The change reportedly followed close consultations with Lee’s office.

Leaflets prepared by a group representing families of those abducted by North Korea are seen at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, April 23, as the organization prepares to launch them across the border. Yonhap

The leaflets — often carrying criticism of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un — are viewed by activists as a means to inform North Koreans about the outside world. But Pyongyang considers them highly provocative and has responded with hostility.

Cho Han-bum, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said the ministry’s U-turn is in line with Lee’s campaign pledge to resume engagement with North Korea.

"As promised, Lee is clearly steering the government back toward dialogue and reconciliation," Cho said. "He’s starting with the leaflet issue, followed by halting propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts, and then likely the revival of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. His goal is to rebuild trust and reopen high-level talks."

The president’s intent to reengage with the North is also reflected in key personnel decisions.

Lee Jong-seok, nominee for the head of the National Intelligence Service, attends a briefing at the presidential office in Seoul, June 4. Yonhap

Lee Jong-seok, His nominee to lead the National Intelligence Service (NIS), is a veteran North Korea expert and a key architect of the Sunshine Policy of rapprochement under liberal former President Kim Dae-jung. He later served as unification minister under another liberal president, Roh Moo-hyun.

"Tapping a North Korea specialist with direct experience in engagement sends a clear message. If confirmed, the NIS’ top priority will likely be reestablishing backchannel communications with Pyongyang," the researcher said.

While Lee has yet to name a unification minister, liberal lawmaker and former Minister Chung Dong-young — known for his negotiation-first approach during the Roh administration — is being widely floated as a strong candidate.

Despite the policy shift and addition of these experts, however, Lee’s potential outreach to North Korea faces significant challenges.

Inter-Korean relations have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with Cold War-style psychological warfare reemerging along the border.

Last year, North Korea sent waves of trash-filled balloons across the border in retaliation to the leaflet launches. In response, South Korea resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts and suspended the 2018 military pact aimed at easing tensions.

Pyongyang retaliated by reinstalling its own loudspeakers, which blare metallic noises and animal sounds to disrupt the daily lives of border residents.

Park Won-gon, head of the Ewha Institute of Unification Studies, viewed that overcoming the current stalemate will be difficult, especially as Kim shows no interest in engaging with Seoul.

Park explained that the current geopolitical climate for talks is far more challenging than during the brief inter-Korean thaw in 2018 under then President Moon Jae-in.

"Back then, Kim was open to talks with the South. But now, he has pivoted toward partners like Russia and publicly declared Seoul as the regime's No. 1 enemy," he said. "Maintaining strong ties with Washington should be a key part of Lee's strategy, as Pyongyang appears more likely to resume diplomacy with the U.S. than with Seoul."