South Korea silences propaganda loudspeakers in bid to ‘restore trust’ with North

The South resumed loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2024 after a pause, responding to North Korea’s trash-laden balloon campaign

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A South Korean military vehicle with loudspeakers is seen in front of a barbed-wire fence near the border with North Korea. Photo: AP

Published: 4:36pm, 11 Jun 2025

South Korea’s military has shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korean propaganda along the inter-Korean border, marking the new liberal government’s first concrete step towards easing tensions between the war-divided rivals.

The South resumed the loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year, following a years-long pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign.

South Korea’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday the move was part of efforts to “to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean peninsula.”

North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong-un, did not immediately comment on the step by Seoul.

From May to November last year, North Korea flew thousands of balloons toward South Korea to drop substances such as waste paper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure. The North said its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with popular South Korean songs and dramas.

Rubbish carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound in July, raising concerns about the vulnerability of key South Korean facilities. Officials said the balloon contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt.

South Korean soldiers work on a loudspeaker that is set up for propaganda broadcasts during a military drill near the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas. Photo: South Korea Defence Ministry/Reuters

South Korea silences propaganda loudspeakers in bid to ‘restore trust’ with North

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The South resumed loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2024 after a pause, responding to North Korea’s trash-laden balloon campaign

The South resumed loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2024 after a pause, responding to North Korea’s trash-laden balloon campaign