South and North Korea remain technically at war, with the 1950–53 Korean War ending in an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Over the years, both nations have used border loudspeakers to broadcast propaganda as tensions have fluctuated.
In 2018, then-President Moon Jae-in dismantled the loudspeakers as part of a broader agreement to halt hostile acts that could escalate military tensions. However, in 2024, President Yoon Suk Yeol reinstated the broadcasts—along with blasts of K-pop music—in response to North Korea’s provocation of sending trash-filled balloons across the border.
Following Seoul’s suspension of the broadcasts in June, North Korea also appears to have ceased its transmissions, which had long disturbed residents near the border, according to South Korean officials.
Despite the de-escalation, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the move, stating it was not an action worthy of appreciation.
Reuters/s.s