The reported move follows Seoul’s decision to halt its own similar campaign the day before
South Korea’s military reported that North Korea seems to have ceased its border loudspeaker broadcasts as of Thursday morning, following Seoul’s suspension of its own broadcasts aimed at the North.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who assumed office this week, instructed the military to stop loudspeaker broadcasts on Wednesday to de-escalate tensions and resume dialogue with Pyongyang.
According to Col. Lee Sung-Jun, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, “There was no region where North Korea’s noise broadcasts to the South were heard today.” He noted that while the broadcasts were audible until around 11 pm the previous night, “so far, there is no region where the noise broadcast has been heard.”
There has been no official statement from North Korea confirming the halt.
A local official informed NK News that North Korean broadcasts transitioned from disruptive noise to calming music on Wednesday night before ceasing entirely by Thursday morning. “We’re not sure what genre the music was. Residents said it was calm and soothing.” The official told the media, “Today, there’s no noise at all.”
Two cafes in Paju, a South Korean city located near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, informed NK News that they did not hear any broadcasts from the North that morning.
Seoul had restarted its loudspeaker campaign in July 2024 after North Korea sent trash-filled balloons into the South. This action occurred during a period of increased tension, partly due to North Korean anger over leaflets sent by defectors in the South.
Relations between the two countries significantly worsened under former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December. Lee Jae-myung, who won a recent snap election, pledged to discontinue provocative measures such as loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflet campaigns and to re-establish diplomatic engagement with the North.
North Korea has consistently opposed joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States, considering them a threat. The two Koreas technically remain at war since the 1953 armistice did not result in a peace treaty.
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