North Korea restores loudspeakers in response to South’s propaganda broadcast

South Korean troops set up propaganda loudspeakers near the inter-Korean border. Image- ROK JCS (June 9, 2024)

ROK military says it did not operate loudspeakers on Monday but is prepared to defend against any DPRK retaliation

Shreyas Reddy June 10, 2024

North Korea appears to have reinstalled loudspeakers near the border to air anti-South Korean propaganda, according to the ROK military, even as the South refrained from using its own loudspeakers following an initial test.

“It has been identified that North Korea has installed loudspeakers for anti-South broadcasts in the front-line areas,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated on Monday.

JCS added that North Korea has yet to resume broadcasts from its loudspeakers, but that South Korea’s military is monitoring DPRK activities and maintaining a state of readiness.

North Korea’s apparent redeployment of the speakers near the inter-Korean border came a day after South Korea carried out its first propaganda broadcast via loudspeakers in six years in response to Pyongyang’s recent “provocations,” including launches of balloons carrying trash and feces.

After the National Security Council authorized the use of loudspeakers, ROK troops staged a training exercise dubbed “Echoes of Freedom” to ensure readiness to operate the speakers at short notice.

However, JCS stressed that the military did not conduct further loudspeaker broadcasts on Monday, while adding that it is ready to carry out operations immediately “if North Korea engages in any despicable acts.”

Earlier on Monday, Public Affairs Officer Lee Sung-jun affirmed during a defense ministry press briefing that South Korea is “always prepared to act when necessary.” 

“Our military conducts operations flexibly based on strategic and operational situations,” he said. “We also consider equipment downtime and various other factors to conduct operations as needed.”

Lee did not provide specific details such as the loudspeakers’ locations or when they may be used, stressing the need to ensure the security of soldiers conducting such operations.

Both Koreas removed the speakers during an inter-Korean detente in 2018, but the DPRK began reinstalling them near the border amid heightened tensions in June 2020. Once the initial crisis subsided, North Korea removed the speakers later the same month. 

While the South Korean speakers in the past broadcast anti-DPRK messages, K-pop and messages promoting its democratic and economic systems, North Korea’s speakers used to air harsh rhetoric against South Korea and other adversaries. 

However, questions remain about what North Korea will choose to broadcast now that it has reinstated its speakers, as the regime seemingly abandoned a decades-old strategy of blaring anti-South propaganda through external radio stations earlier this year.

South Korean media reported that the primary purpose of the DPRK loudspeaker broadcasts will likely be “noise reduction” to prevent North Korean soldiers and citizens from hearing the anti-regime propaganda, citing an anonymous ROK government official.

The DPRK previously opened fire on South Korean loudspeakers in Aug. 2015 during a period of heightened inter-Korean tensions, but JCS’ Lee said precautions are in place to protect soldiers from North Korean retaliation, including carrying out broadcasts from “protected locations” and using protective gear.

The JCS official reiterated South Korea’s readiness against Pyongyang’s “elevated rhetorical threats” after Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s powerful sister, warned of a “new counteraction” in response to ROK loudspeaker broadcasts and defector-activists’ launches of balloons loaded with anti-regime leaflets. 

“Our military is fully capable of responding overwhelmingly to any North Korean provocations and is closely monitoring their movements,” he said.

Edited by Bryan Betts