South Korea to broadcast ‘large-scale’ loudspeaker broadcasts in response to North Korea’s trash balloons
This photo provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows debris from a balloon in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Sunday, July 21, 2024, believed to have been sent from North Korea. (South Korean Defense Ministry via AP)
North Korea on Sunday sent a new batch of balloons likely carrying trash toward South Korea, which vowed to broadcast “large-scale” messages through loudspeakers in response.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the balloons crossed the border Sunday morning and flew north of Seoul, the South Korean capital, The Associated Press reported.
The military said it would expand loudspeaker broadcasts to all major sections of the 154-mile-long border between the two Koreas, the news agency added.
“Actions by the North Korean military that escalate tension may have critical consequences for it,” the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, according to the AP. “The responsibility for such situations lies entirely with the North Korean government.”
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the loudspeaker broadcasts are scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. local time Sunday. The broadcasts will feature K-pop songs and news reports, South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency reported.
The move comes days after South Korea resumed frontline propaganda broadcasts for the first time in 40 days in response to North Korea’s previous balloon launches, the AP added.
North Korea began launching trash balloons in late May, deepening already strained relations with South Korea. Previously launched trash balloons did not carry hazardous substances, but did contain cigarette butts, used paper, vinyl and plastic bags.
South Korea temporarily turned on its loudspeakers along the border in early June in response to the first waves of balloon launches.
The initial launches were an apparent response to a campaign by South Korean activists and North Korean defectors who have launched balloons containing anti-North Korea leaflets and other items, the AP reported.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, warned last week that South Korean “scum” should be prepared to pay “a horrible and expensive price” for leafleting activities, the AP added.
The loudspeaker blasts were previously stopped in 2018 after a rare meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Reuters reported.
Experts told the AP that propaganda broadcasts can demoralize North Korean troops and residents on the front lines while directly countering the North’s attempts to limit access to outside information.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
