South Korea broadcasts propaganda to North Korea - North Korea also installs loudspeakers, raising concerns over intensifying hostilities between the two Koreas

On the 9th of this month, the South Korean military resumed propaganda broadcasts over loudspeakers near the inter-Korean military demarcation line. This is a countermeasure to North Korea's launching balloons with filth hanging from them toward South Korea since late last month.
The broadcast is part of a psychological warfare to demonstrate South Korea's superiority. It will be the first in about six years since it was canceled in 2018, when North-South relations were improving. Meanwhile, North Korea has also shown signs of moving ahead with preparations for the broadcast.
South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported that "there is a possibility that North and South Korea will simultaneously conduct psychological warfare using loudspeakers." The South Korean military's propaganda broadcasts to North Korea began in 1962, and since then,
The program has been suspended and resumed repeatedly as the situation has improved and deteriorated. The broadcast is carried out using a large speaker, and the content includes appeals for the superiority of South Korea's democratic system over North Korea's political system,
The programs include criticism of the North Korean regime, news from South Korea and abroad, South Korean songs, etc. The broadcasts are said to have a large psychological impact on North Korean soldiers.
As tensions between North and South Korea continue to grow, North Korea has been dumping garbage, filth, and other items since late last month.
The North has been sending balloons with dangling weapons into South Korea in large numbers. This is believed to be a countermeasure to the flight of leaflets criticizing the Kim Jong Un regime from South Korea to North Korea by a group of North Korean defectors early last month.
In the city and its suburbs in Gyeonggi-do, damage such as glass being broken when garbage tied to balloons fell on cars was also confirmed.
"We have shown the world that this is a terrible thing," he said, warning that if North Korea does not stop such actions, "we will take all unbearable measures." However, North Korea is still believed to be continuing to release balloons, according to Yonhap News Agency.
On the 9th, balloons were also spotted near the presidential office in Seoul. On the 4th, the South Korean government officially decided to completely suspend the effectiveness of the inter-Korean military agreement as a countermeasure.
The agreement, called the "No. 9 Inter-Korean Military Agreement," is an addendum to the "Pyeongyang Joint Declaration" signed by then-President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in September 2018.
The agreement included an agreement to work toward easing tensions, an end to all hostile acts on land, sea, and air, and measures to turn the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a peace zone.
Regarding the military agreement, South Korea suspended part of the agreement after North Korea wrapped up a military reconnaissance satellite in November last year, but this is the first time that it has been suspended completely.
The government stressed that the suspension of the military agreement will allow the government to take adequate and immediate measures against North Korean provocations.
Propaganda broadcasts were also allowed to resume. Broadcasts began on the 9th. They were broadcast for about two hours that day. According to the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, the South Korean military broadcast the Aegukga (South Korean national anthem) at around 4:55 pm on the same day.
Immediately after that, at around 5:00 p.m., the broadcast began with a call from Naeun saying, "Hello, fellow North Koreans."
He reported that smartphones are the No. 1 in shipments in 38 countries around the world, and that there is a tendency for inflation in the North Korean market. In the middle of the broadcast, he played the hit song "
In response to the resumption of propaganda broadcasts, Kim Yo-jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, made a statement on the 9th through state media, saying, "The situation is extremely dangerous.
"This is the prelude to a dangerous situation. The audacious attitude of the thief has created a new critical environment," she said. Yo-jong added that if South Korea continues to distribute leaflets and broadcast propaganda critical of the regime, "paper (tied to balloons) will be used against the regime."
The embarrassment of having to pick up trash (tagged with smudges) will become a daily occurrence in Korea. We strongly warn you to immediately stop and refrain from any further dangerous behavior that could lead to a confrontation."
It was revealed on the 10th that North Korea is also preparing to broadcast to South Korea. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on the same day that they had confirmed that North Korea was setting up loudspeakers near the military demarcation line.
Meanwhile, the South Korean military did not broadcast on the 10th, citing the need to "exercise strategic flexibility and manage the situation." However, it said, "We will immediately broadcast if the North commits any despicable acts."
He added that "we are ready to carry out such an action," raising concerns that the propaganda broadcasts could lead to further escalation of hostilities between the North and the South.