South Korea initiates the dismantling of speakers stationed along the border with North Korea.
In a significant move towards easing tensions with North Korea, President Lee Jae Myung's administration has halted propaganda broadcasts and initiated the dismantling of loudspeakers along the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). This decision marks a departure from the previous government's policy and is part of a broader effort to restore diplomacy and dialogue with North Korea.
Since assuming office in June 2025, South Korea has stopped the loudspeaker broadcasts that included K-pop music, news updates, weather reports, and short radio plays critical of the North Korean regime. These broadcasts, considered effective psychological tools by some North Korean defectors, had been a source of hostility between the two nations.
The South Korean military began the removal of about 20 fixed speakers on the border by early August. The Defense Ministry described this action as a "practical measure" to help reduce hostility without compromising military readiness. By the end of the week from August 4, 2025, all loudspeakers along the border are expected to be dismantled.
North Korea, in response, also stopped its own loudspeaker broadcasts, including bizarre noise transmissions that had been a nuisance to locals. This move reflects Lee’s campaign promise to restore diplomacy and dialogue with North Korea and marks a symbolic step toward détente between the two Koreas.
However, North Korea has rejected pursuing dialogue with its southern neighbour. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, stated last week that expecting to reverse past actions with a few sentimental words is a serious miscalculation. The exact nature of the "results" Kim Yo Jong referred to is not specified.
In addition, the South Korean government is attempting to curb civil groups sending anti-North Korean leaflets across the border, exploring legal measures beyond the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that prohibited banning leaflet launches.
It is important to note that the two nations, South Korea and North Korea, are technically still at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Relations between the two countries had been at one of their lowest points in years, with Lee's predecessor enforcing a deep freeze in relations.
President Lee Jae Myung, in his bid to "restore trust", ordered the military to stop the broadcasts. This move is aimed at helping ease tensions with North Korea, without compromising the military's state of readiness.
Despite these diplomatic overtures, North Korea has drawn ever closer to Moscow in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The exact number of loudspeakers to be removed was not disclosed.
[1] ABC News, "South Korea Stops Propaganda Broadcasts to North Korea", June 2025, link
[2] The New York Times, "South Korea Halts Propaganda Broadcasts to North Korea", June 2025, link
[3] Reuters, "South Korea Dismantles Loudspeakers Along DMZ", August 2025, link
[4] BBC News, "South Korea Halts Propaganda Broadcasts to North Korea", June 2025, link
[5] The Guardian, "South Korea Stops Propaganda Broadcasts to North Korea", June 2025, link
- The dramatic shift in diplomacy between South Korea and North Korea, as evidenced by the halt of propaganda broadcasts along the DMZ, is also influencing the broader landscape of war-and-conflicts, politics, and general news, particularly concerning Russia and Ukraine.
- Despite South Korea's attempts to restore diplomacy and dialogue with North Korea through the dismantling of loudspeakers, tensions remain high as North Korea continues to draw ever closer to Russia, a move that has significant political implications for Ukraine and the region.
