South Korea halts loudspeaker broadcasts along border with rival North Korea

South Korea shuts down anti-North Korean propaganda loudspeakers, aiming to ease tensions with North Korea under new liberal government.

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 toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals.

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

South Korea’s Defence Ministry said Wednesday (June 11, 2025) the move was part of efforts “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.

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From May to November last year, North Korea flew thousands of balloons toward South Korea to drop substances such as wastepaper, 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.

Trash 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.