North Korea has yet to show any signs of taking down its loudspeakers along the border with South Korea
SEOUL — North Korea has yet to show any signs of taking down its loudspeakers along the border with South Korea, the South's military said Tuesday, a day after Seoul began dismantling its border loudspeakers for anti-Pyongyang broadcasts.
On Monday, the South Korean military started removing fixed loudspeaker facilities installed along the heavily fortified border, in what it called a "practical measure" to ease inter-Korean tensions without affecting the military's readiness posture.
"As of Tuesday, there had been no movements by the North Korean military to dismantle their loudspeakers. Only daily activities were detected," Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said in a regular press briefing.
The South Korean military on Monday started removing loudspeakers for propaganda broadcasts toward North Korea installed along the heavily fortified border, the defence ministry said, in Seoul's latest efforts to reduce inter-Korean tensions.
The move comes less than two months after the South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts in front-line areas as part of efforts to mend strained ties with the North.
North Korea has long bristled against the military's loudspeaker broadcasts as well as leaflets sent by activists over fears of outside information that could pose a threat to its ruling regime.
Pyongyang has also since turned off its own noise-blaring campaign against the South, Yonhap news agency reported.
"It is a practical measure that can help ease inter-Korean tensions without affecting the military's readiness posture," the ministry said in a notice to reporters.
The follow-up measure to the June suspension applies to fixed speakers installed alongside the border and is set to be completed within this week, Col. Lee Kyung-ho, a ministry spokesperson, told a regular press briefing. About 20 fixed speakers are known to be in the area.
No consultations with the North took place prior to the decision, Lee said.
When asked about whether the North is preparing to take corresponding action, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said no such movement has yet been detected.