S. Korea halts loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North

South Korea's military shut down loudspeakers broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda along the inter-Korean border on Wednesday, marking the new liberal government's first concrete step toward easing tensions between the war-divided rivals.

- Associated Press

The South resumed the daily loudspeaker broadcasts in June last year following a yearslong pause in retaliation for North Korea flying trash-laden balloons toward the South in a psychological warfare campaign. South Korea's Defense Ministry said the move, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, was part of efforts “to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

Kang Yu-jung, Lee’s spokesperson, described the decision as a “proactive step” to reduce military tensions and ease the burden for South Koreans residing in border areas, who have also been affected by North Korea’s retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts. North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its third-generation ruler, Kim Jong Un, didn't immediately comment on the step by Seoul.