DPRK starts dismantling border loudspeakers after South’s move
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The DPRK has begun removing some border loudspeakers after South Korea took similar steps, signalling a rare easing of tensions under President Lee Jae Myung.
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Visitors look through a wire fence decorated with ribbons written with messages wishing for the reunification of the two Koreas at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, Sunday, June 30, 2019 (AP)
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has begun dismantling some of its loudspeakers along the border, South Korea’s military said, in what appears to be a reciprocal gesture after Seoul took similar steps last week.
In a statement on Saturday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said DPRK troops were seen removing loudspeakers in parts of the frontline area from Saturday morning. The military did not disclose exact locations and stressed that further monitoring was needed to confirm whether the dismantling was taking place across all border regions.
The development is among the first tangible signs of rapprochement between the two Koreas since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June, replacing conservative predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol. Shortly after his inauguration, Lee halted Seoul’s propaganda broadcasts aimed at the DPRK in an attempt to revive stalled dialogue. Pyongyang reportedly stopped its own broadcasts in June.
South Korea starts dismantling its speakers
Last week, South Korea began dismantling its border speakers, which had been used to air news critical of the DPRK leadership, messages about democratic and capitalist society, and K-pop music. These broadcasts were said to travel over 20km into DPRK territory.
In the past, residents in border areas have complained that DPRK speakers retaliated with irritating noises, including howling animals and pounding gongs.
The DPRK has not officially commented on the dismantling of its equipment. The South’s previous conservative administration had resumed loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year in retaliation for Pyongyang sending rubbish-filled balloons across the border.
President Lee has taken additional steps to reduce tensions, including asking civic groups to suspend anti-DPRK leaflet drops and postponing parts of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield joint drills with the US, due to take place in the coming weeks.
Seoul says propaganda broadcasts halted
In June, following the election of President Lee Jae Myung, Seoul's military announced that the nations, still technically at war, had already stopped propaganda broadcasts across the demilitarized zone.
South Korea reported that Pyongyang had ceased broadcasting strange, disruptive noises along the border, which had grown into a significant annoyance for South Korean residents, just one day after Seoul turned off its loudspeakers.
"Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers," spokesman of the South's Defense Ministry, Lee Kyung-ho, told reporters on Monday, noting that the measure comes as an attempt to reduce tensions with the DPRK.
He also stated that all border loudspeakers would be dismantled by the end of the week, though he did not specify how many would be removed.
'Restoring trust'
Following the impeachment of his predecessor over a failed martial law declaration, the newly elected President Lee ordered the military to halt the broadcasts as part of an effort to "restore trust".
Pyongyang sent a wave of trash-laden balloons across the border last year after South Korean activists sent propaganda leaflets to the DPRK. The previous administration then initiated the loudspeaker broadcasts in retaliation, but President Lee, seeking to ease tensions and foster better ties with the DPRK, pledged to halt them.
Breaking from the prolonged stalemate under his predecessor, Lee has expressed his willingness to engage in unconditional talks with the North. The DPRK has yet to accept dialogue with its southern neighbor, with the Deputy Department Director of the Publicity and Information Department of the Workers' Party of Korea, Kim Yo Jong, stating, "If the ROK... expected that it could reverse all the results it had made with a few sentimental words, nothing is more serious miscalculation than it."
