**North Korea has reaffirmed its stance on maintaining its border propaganda loudspeakers, refuting South Korean claims of their removal and expressing a commitment to a hardened relations policy.**
**North Korea Asserts Propaganda Loudspeakers Remain Active Amid Tensions with South**
**North Korea Asserts Propaganda Loudspeakers Remain Active Amid Tensions with South**
**Kim Yo Jong rejects South Korea's claims of speaker removal, stating no intention to mend relations.**
North Korea has firmly rejected South Korea's assertions that it has dismantled some of its propaganda loudspeakers positioned along the inter-Korean border. In a statement released through state media agency KCNA, Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, declared that the North "has never removed" the loudspeakers and "is not willing to remove them." This proclamation comes on the heels of South Korea's military announcement earlier in the week, stating that some loudspeakers had been taken down, coinciding with South Korea's own recent dismantling of similar installations.
Kim Yo Jong elaborated, stating that it has been made clear multiple times that North Korea intends to maintain a hardline stance regarding relations with its southern neighbor, a position that she claims will be enshrined in future constitutional amendments. She dismissed South Korea's claims as an "unfounded unilateral supposition and a red herring," reflecting the deep-seated distrust between the two nations.
Propaganda broadcasts between the two Koreas have had a significant impact on residents living near the border, where South Korean broadcasts often feature K-pop music alongside their informational messages. In contrast, North Korea typically transmits unsettling sounds, including the calls of howling animals. Local communities have raised concerns about the disruptive noise on both sides, often occurring during late-night hours.
North Korea views its southern neighbor's propaganda efforts as an overt act of aggression, threatening in the past to destroy the loudspeakers. Tensions have periodically escalated, and South Korea's resurgence of speaker broadcasts in June 2024 under former president Yoon Suk Yeol marked a shift back to a more confrontational approach, coinciding with increased provocations from the North, including the launch of balloons filled with waste.
However, a new political landscape emerged with the election of President Lee Jae Myung, who championed the idea of improving inter-Korean ties. Soon after taking office in June, he moved to cease South Korean broadcasts as a means of fostering trust and promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Despite these overtures, relations remain fraught, exemplified by North Korea's recent warnings of "resolute counteraction" in response to scheduled military exercises by South Korea and the United States.
Kim Yo Jong elaborated, stating that it has been made clear multiple times that North Korea intends to maintain a hardline stance regarding relations with its southern neighbor, a position that she claims will be enshrined in future constitutional amendments. She dismissed South Korea's claims as an "unfounded unilateral supposition and a red herring," reflecting the deep-seated distrust between the two nations.
Propaganda broadcasts between the two Koreas have had a significant impact on residents living near the border, where South Korean broadcasts often feature K-pop music alongside their informational messages. In contrast, North Korea typically transmits unsettling sounds, including the calls of howling animals. Local communities have raised concerns about the disruptive noise on both sides, often occurring during late-night hours.
North Korea views its southern neighbor's propaganda efforts as an overt act of aggression, threatening in the past to destroy the loudspeakers. Tensions have periodically escalated, and South Korea's resurgence of speaker broadcasts in June 2024 under former president Yoon Suk Yeol marked a shift back to a more confrontational approach, coinciding with increased provocations from the North, including the launch of balloons filled with waste.
However, a new political landscape emerged with the election of President Lee Jae Myung, who championed the idea of improving inter-Korean ties. Soon after taking office in June, he moved to cease South Korean broadcasts as a means of fostering trust and promoting peace on the Korean Peninsula. Despite these overtures, relations remain fraught, exemplified by North Korea's recent warnings of "resolute counteraction" in response to scheduled military exercises by South Korea and the United States.
