North Korean Leader Denies Removing Propaganda Loudspeakers Along Border

North Korea Denies Removing Border Loudspeakers, Rebuffs South Korea’s Claims

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister has firmly rejected South Korean assertions that Pyongyang had dismantled some of its propaganda loudspeakers along the heavily fortified border between the two nations.

In a statement published Thursday by North Korea’s state media outlet KCNA, Kim Yo Jong declared that North Korea has “never removed” the speakers and has no intention to do so. “We are not willing to remove them,” she stated unequivocally.

Kim, who serves as the deputy director of North Korea’s powerful propaganda department and is considered one of her brother’s closest advisors, dismissed Seoul’s claims as an “unfounded unilateral supposition and a red herring.” She emphasized the North’s hardline stance toward its southern neighbor, stating, “We have clarified on several occasions that we have no will to improve relations with [South Korea],” adding that this position “will be fixed in our constitution in the future.”

The statement directly contradicts reports from South Korea’s military earlier this week that had claimed North Korea removed some border loudspeakers shortly after Seoul dismantled some of its own broadcasting equipment.

The propaganda loudspeakers have long been a contentious issue in inter-Korean relations. South Korea typically broadcasts K-pop songs and news about the outside world across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), while North Korea counters with disturbing sounds like howling animals and propaganda messages praising its regime and criticizing Seoul and Washington.

Residents in South Korean border communities have repeatedly complained that their daily lives are disrupted by the noise from both sides’ broadcasts, which sometimes occur in the middle of the night. The psychological warfare tactic has been employed intermittently for decades, with Pyongyang consistently viewing the South’s broadcasts as an act of war, even threatening to destroy the speakers in past confrontations.

The recent dispute comes amid fluctuating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea resumed its loudspeaker broadcasts in June 2024 after a six-year hiatus during former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration, which had adopted a more confrontational approach toward North Korea. The broadcasts were reactivated after North Korea began sending balloons filled with trash and propaganda leaflets into South Korean territory amid escalating hostilities.

When Lee Jae Myung became South Korea’s president in June, there appeared to be potential for improved relations, as he had campaigned on a platform that included better ties with North Korea. In what was described as a goodwill gesture aimed at “restoring trust” and “achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula,” South Korea’s military halted its border broadcasts shortly after Lee took office.

However, Kim Yo Jong’s statement suggests North Korea has no interest in reciprocating such gestures. The relationship between the two countries, technically still at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, remains fraught with tension.

Further complicating matters, earlier this week North Korea warned of “resolute counteraction” in response to planned joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States. These annual drills have consistently drawn strong condemnation from Pyongyang, which views them as rehearsals for invasion.

Analysts note that Kim Yo Jong’s statement signals that despite leadership changes in Seoul, North Korea intends to maintain its hostile stance toward South Korea, potentially complicating President Lee’s campaign promises to ease tensions on the peninsula.