South Korea Begins Removing Loudspeakers on North Korean Border to Ease Tensions

South Korea has started removing loudspeakers that used to broadcast anti-North Korean messages along the border, the country’s Defence Ministry announced on Monday, August 4. This move comes as part of President Lee Jae Myung’s efforts to reduce tensions with North Korea and restart dialogue.

For years, K-pop songs, news stories, and messages critical of the North Korean leadership had been played over the loudspeakers. These broadcasts were aimed at influencing North Korean soldiers and citizens across the border. However, the South Korean government stopped the broadcasts in June, shortly after President Lee took office.

Relations between the two Koreas have worsened in recent years. Although the Korean War ended in 1953 with a truce, the two countries remain technically at war. President Lee's administration hopes that halting the broadcasts and removing the loudspeakers will be seen as a gesture of goodwill.

A Defence Ministry spokesperson, Lee Kyung-ho, said the removal of the loudspeakers was a “practical step” and that it would not weaken South Korea’s military readiness. He added that all the speakers would be taken down by the end of the week, although he did not say how many there were or how they would be stored.

North Korea, known for reacting strongly to criticism from the outside world, has not commented on South Korea’s decision. Earlier, Pyongyang had also stopped sending strange, disruptive noises across the border, which had bothered residents in South Korean border areas.

President Lee’s move follows a promise to restore trust between the two nations after taking office. His predecessor was impeached following a failed attempt to declare martial law. Now, his government is taking small steps in hopes of creating a better environment for peace talks in the future.