South Korea will start loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North Korea on Sunday, a measure deemed “unbearable” for the Kim Jong Un regime, following the resumption of trash-carrying balloons sent from Pyongyang.
The decision was announced by South Korea’s National Security Council after dozens of these balloons were discovered in Seoul and border areas earlier in the day.
“The measures we will take may be unbearable for the North Korean regime but they will send a message of hope and light to the North’s troops and its people,” the Council stated.
In retaliation to the trash balloons, South Korea plans to restart its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts along the border. These broadcasts, featuring world news, information about democratic and capitalist societies, and K-pop music, are expected to travel over 20 kilometres into North Korean territory.
North Korea began sending balloons filled with trash and manure across the border in May, claiming it was a response to South Korean activists’ anti-North leaflets.
Although Pyongyang temporarily halted the practice on June 2, stating that 15 tons of trash were sufficient to convey their displeasure, it threatened to resume if the leaflet campaign continued.
Defiant South Korean activists have continued to launch balloons carrying leaflets critical of Kim Jong Un, USB sticks with K-pop videos, and U.S. dollar notes into North Korea, escalating tensions.
In the past, North Korea has responded aggressively to such leaflet campaigns and loudspeaker broadcasts, sometimes using weapons against the balloons and speakers.
The loudspeaker broadcasts were initially halted in 2018 under an agreement between the leaders of the two Koreas, aimed at promoting peace and reducing military tensions. However, relations have since deteriorated as North Korea advanced its ballistic missile development and declared South Korea its “enemy number one.”
South Korea’s military reported that North Korea launched approximately 330 balloons carrying trash starting Saturday, with about 80 landing in South Korean territory.
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