South Korea’s military began dismantling the fixed loudspeaker systems strewn along the Demilitarized Zone on August 4, removing a decades‑old tool of psychological warfare in a deliberate effort to reduce tensions with North Korea. The move approved by President Lee Jae‑myung’s administration, follows his June order halting the daily broadcasts of K‑pop, world news and government criticism, which had restarted in mid‑2024 in retaliation for North Korea’s “trash balloon” campaign. The Defence Ministry stressed the dismantling is a “practical measure … to ease inter‑Korean tensions without compromising military readiness” and is expected to conclude within several days.
The protests of border residents about sleepless nights due to broadcast noise had amplified public pressure, and Lee has cast the actions as part of a broader strategy to restore trust and revive stalled dialogues. There was no consultation with Pyongyang before ordering the dismantling, and the physical collections of speaker 24 fixed units near the Military Demarcation Line, mark the administration’s first unilateral de‑escalation, which it characterizes as reversible if security conditions warrant.
Yet North Korea has shown no willingness to reciprocate goodwill. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, described South Korea’s ceasefire on broadcasts and dismantling of loudspeakers as a “great miscalculation,” asserting that Seoul continues to harbor hostility under cover of alliance with Washington. Pyongyang remains focused on bolstering ties with Russia while dismissing Lee’s overtures, underscoring that re‑engagement remains highly unlikely.
Seoul’s decision comes amid renewed policy direction breaking sharply from the previous conservative government, which had reinstated the loudspeaker campaigns in mid‑2024 as part of its response to North Korean provocations. Shanghai analysts caution that while the gesture may reduce tensions, it removes one of the few non‑military pressure tools still maintained by South Korea that could complicate future calculations if Pyongyang escalates provocations again.
