South Korea Joint Chiefs Staff / EPA
South Korean soldiers prepare advertising altifalas near the North Korea border.
New South Korean president wants to end the long psychological war with the neighbor. Border sound pollution transmissions have already included K-pop and disturbing sounds.
South Korea began removing the speakers from its border used to transmit messages against North Korea in the demilitarized zone between the two countries. This is the president’s latest gesture Lee Jae-myungelected this year, to improve relationships with the neighbor.
“It is a practical measure to help tensions With North Korea, provided that such actions do not compromise the state of prompt forces, ”said a government spokesman.
All speakers should be removed by the end of the week. Seoul had already ordered in June the suspension of the transmissions, a few days after the new center-left president’s inauguration. Last year, the then conservative president had resumed messages in response to the sending of from North Korea.
The content included K-pop music -The very popular genre of South Korean music-and international news.
Psychological warfare
In turn, then-President Moon Jae-in had already dismantled the speakers in 2018. His government had agreed to interrupt any hostile acts that could be a source of military tension.
The speakers are part of a long tradition of psychological war between the two Koreas. The devices were used for five decades to convey news, messages against the North Korean regime and popular music beyond the border.
According to Seoul, the removal of the altifalantes was not coordinated with North Korea. The new government has also asked civilian organizations to suspend the launch of leaflets against the North Korean regime through balloons.
“We have made civic groups strongly to cease the pamphlet distribution activities to promote peace and ensure the safety of residents in border zones,” said Koo Byung-Sam, a spokesman for the Ministry of Unification, at a press conference held on Monday. The two Koreas are separated by a demilitarized zone with four kilometers wide.
South “remains the enemy”
Kim Jong-un’s regime continues to reject an approximation, although his own propaganda altifalantes also turned off in June. The interruption of sounds described as disturbing to the border residents occurred a day after South Korea turned off their altifalals.
Last week, Kim Yo-Jong, sister of the North Korean leader, said the South Korea “remains the enemy”and the country rejects denuclearization proposals.
The two countries remain technically at warsince the fighting of the Korea War (1950–1953) ceased with an Armistice, but not a peace treaty.
The efforts of the new South Korean president emerge following one of the most tense moments in years in relations with the north. Seoul went through a hard line period against Pyongyang, which in turn approached Moscow after the Russian invasion of the Ukrainian territory.
