South Korea Halts Anti-North Propaganda Broadcasts in a De-escalation Bid

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - South Korea's newly elected President Lee Jae-myung has ordered the suspension of propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers along the border with North Korea. As reported by Yonhap and quoted by Antara, the directive is intended to ease tension and rebuild trust between the two neighboring countries.

"The President instructed the military authorities to suspend loudspeaker broadcasts installed in the front-lines areas toward North Korea at 2 p.m. today," presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung told reporters on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.

Several hours earlier, the South Korean military had announced the cessation of anti-North Korea propaganda broadcasts through loudspeakers.

The decision was made about a year after the broadcasts resumed in June last year in response to the North's sending of garbage-filled balloons.

According to Kang, the suspension demonstrates the South Korean government's commitment to rebuild trust and create peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The cessation of propaganda is one of Lee's campaign promises regarding inter-Korean relations before he was elected as president in the election on June 3.

Lee also campaigned to stop sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.

As president, he emphasized his efforts to improve relations with North Korea, despite the neighboring country recently referring to South Korea as its "principal enemy" and cutting off all official communication channels.

"It is aimed at easing tensions, given the absence of any major provocations by the North recently," Kang said. "It is meant to reduce military confrontation between the two Koreas and open the door to rebuilding mutual trust."

He also referred to the policy as a "practical step" to reduce the noise impact that residents in the border area have been experiencing.

Under the previous administration, President Yoon Suk Yeol reactivated the loudspeaker broadcasts that had been suspended for six years to demonstrate his firm stance towards North Korea.

However, the Lee Jae-myung's administration is now taking a different approach. Earlier this week, the South Korean Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, expressed regret over anti-North leafleting by a group of abductee families.

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