SEOUL: South Korea has started removing loudspeakers used to broadcast K-pop and news into North Korea, marking a step toward easing tensions between the two nations.
The move follows a June agreement to halt propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarised zone after President Lee Jae Myung took office.
Defence ministry spokesman Lee Kyung-ho confirmed the removal process began on Monday.
“It is a practical measure aimed at helping ease tensions with the North, provided that such actions do not compromise the military’s state of readiness,“ he said.
All loudspeakers will be dismantled by the end of the week, though the exact number was not disclosed.
President Lee, elected after his predecessor’s impeachment, ordered the halt in broadcasts to “restore trust” between the Koreas.
Relations had deteriorated under the previous administration, which initiated the broadcasts in response to North Korea sending trash-filled balloons southward.
Despite Seoul’s diplomatic efforts, Pyongyang has rejected dialogue.
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed South Korea’s overtures last week, calling them a “serious miscalculation.”
The two Koreas remain technically at war, as the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. – AFP
