South Korea Resumes Loudspeaker Broadcasts Amid Balloon Row with North Korea
In a tit-for-tat exchange over airborne provocations, South Korea has made a bold move by announcing the revival of its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts aimed at North Korea after a hiatus of six years. This decision comes as a response to Pyongyang’s recent campaign of launching balloons laden with rubbish across the border.
Over the weekend, South Korean authorities detected more than 300 North Korean balloons, with approximately 80 of them landing in the South, carrying nothing but scrap paper and plastic sheets. Despite North Korea’s silence thus far, it’s worth noting that Pyongyang views these loudspeaker broadcasts as an act of war, with past threats of blowing them up.
This escalation follows North Korea’s apparent retaliation last month, where it unleashed around 200 balloons filled with waste over the border, in response to propaganda leaflets distributed from the South. Adding to the tension, recent weeks have seen Pyongyang hurling over a thousand sacks of waste paper, cigarette butts, and even excrement across the border, in what seems like a bizarre waste campaign.
South Korean officials are urging the public to exercise caution and refrain from touching these balloons, emphasizing the importance of reporting any sightings promptly to the authorities. The military has assured that no hazardous materials have been discovered so far.
In a bid to counteract these provocations, South Korea’s National Security Council has greenlit the resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts along the border, marking a significant shift since their last use in 2018. This move comes on the heels of an activist group in the South flying balloons into North Korea, laden with leaflets critical of Kim Jong Un’s regime, along with dollar bills and even USB sticks containing banned K-pop music.
The broadcasts, known for their reach of up to 10km during the day and 24km at night, have been a tool for disseminating news from both Koreas and beyond, as well as shedding light on democracy and life in South Korea. However, their reinstatement is not without controversy, as Seoul’s parliament passed a law last year criminalizing the launch of anti-Pyongyang leaflets, sparking concerns over freedom of speech and human rights.
This latest escalation echoes past incidents, including North Korea’s own balloon launches targeting South Korean leaders, which, in one instance, reportedly contained hazardous substances like toilet paper and cigarette butts, as described by Seoul police. As tensions soar, the region braces for further exchanges in this high-stakes balloon saga.
