According to South Korean military officials, loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at North Korea with high-powered speakers have a listening range of 10 to 30 kilometres. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 24 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korean civic organizations are calling on the government to cease psychological warfare operations against North Korea through loudspeaker broadcasts. The groups plan to send letters of protest to President Yoon Suk Yeol and Defense Minister Shin Won-sik.
On July 24, the Korean Peninsula Peace Action, a coalition of 607 religious and civil society organizations, held a press conference in front of the presidential office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
The group denounced the decision to fully resume loudspeaker broadcasts, stating that it “escalates the possibility of conflict in the border region.”
The coalition argued that the government’s claim that the broadcasts are a response to North Korea’s “garbage balloons” is an overreaction that could justify further military actions by Pyongyang.
They emphasized that loudspeaker broadcasts are prohibited under both the armistice agreement and the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act.
“With inter-Korean communication channels cut off, it is extremely dangerous for the military to engage in actions that could be perceived as hostile in the border area,” the group stated.
Regarding the government’s stance that allowing private organizations to send leaflets to North Korea falls under “freedom of expression,” the coalition criticized it as a self-serving interpretation that justifies an ideological and emotional approach to North-South relations.
The coalition argued that the government’s claim that the broadcasts are a response to North Korea’s “garbage balloons” is an overreaction that could justify further military actions by Pyongyang. (Yonhap)
They urged the government to restrict such leaflet distributions, citing the earnest requests of residents in border areas.
Lee Tae-ho, co-executive director of Korean Peninsula Peace Action, expressed concern that the loudspeaker broadcasts could lead to unforeseen clashes, noting that “military agreements have been nullified, leaving even rules of engagement unclear.”
Nam Ki-Pyung, secretary of the Reconciliation and Reunification Department at the National Council of Churches in Korea, pointed out that resuming loudspeaker broadcasts “traps us in a vicious cycle of hostility.”
He emphasized that provocative actions from either side do not contribute to peace.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
