Seoul: North Korea appears to have paused its broadcasts of loud noises toward South Korea, the South's military reported on Thursday. This development follows a recent directive from President Lee Jae-myung to suspend South Korea's own loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North Korea, as part of efforts to reduce tensions and foster trust between the two nations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean military halted its loudspeaker broadcasts at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, following President Lee's order. Col. Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), confirmed during a press briefing that no broadcasts were detected late Wednesday or Thursday morning. He noted, however, that the military is closely monitoring the situation for any potential broadcasts in the afternoon.
Col. Lee also emphasized that the military is maintaining a flexible approach to its loudspeaker broadcasts, which are contingent upon the strategic and operational landscape. This flexibility is part of a broader government review aimed at potentially ending the campaign, though the military remains ready to resume operations if needed. There are no current plans to alter scheduled training in the border areas.
The decision to suspend broadcasts comes a year after the South Korean military resumed the campaign for the first time in six years, reacting to North Korea's repeated launches of trash-carrying balloons across the border. Beyond reducing inter-Korean tensions, the suspension aims to alleviate the impact on residents in border areas who have been adversely affected by the noise of sirens and traditional drums.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that North Korea has shifted its broadcasts to music in the western border county of Gangwha and the border town of Paju. Local authorities have announced increased monitoring efforts to determine if this change persists.
Since redefining inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other" in 2023, North Korea has worked to remove evidence of past inter-Korean exchanges and has undertaken construction efforts to reinforce roads and anti-tank barriers in the border area. Col. Lee of the JCS noted that these activities are being conducted by North Korean troops in "very small numbers."