North Korea has pledged to immediately stop sending balloons over the border in response to the news that the South Korean government is considering resuming loudspeaker broadcasts towards the North.
According to an SBS Report on June 3, as per the Panmunjom Declaration in April 2018, 10 stationary and about 40 mobile loudspeakers were removed from the South-North border area.
South Korean military is storing the equipment, but it is known that some stationary loudspeakers can be installed in about 5 hours.
The high-output loudspeakers can broadcast the latest songs, weather forecasts, and information about North Korea up to more than 12.4 miles.
No Hee Chang, the Korean Peninsula Development Association Chairman and a former North Korean Party official, said, “It’s very clear. People can even memorize the lyrics. It’s completely different from North Korean propaganda, so it’s captivating. That’s why many people have defected from North Korea.”
In a situation where North Korea has introduced laws such as the Anti-Reactionary Thought and Culture Law and increased the level of cultural control, the impact on the younger generation is expected to be greater.
Ahn Chan Il, Director of the World North Korea Research Center, explained, “The young generation is fully aware of the Korean Wave culture and is at the forefront, so it’s creating a complete synergy effect.”
As a comeback to the South Korean military resuming loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea in August 2015 due to the landmine provocation, North Korea declared a quasi-state of war in the frontline area and even carried out artillery provocations around the loudspeakers.
There are concerns that if loudspeaker broadcasts are resumed, not only will the anxiety of residents in the border area increase, but also military tensions between the North and South could escalate.
In response, the government is expected to decide whether to resume loudspeaker broadcasts while monitoring the situation for additional North Korean provocations.
