North Korean loudspeakers (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – Residents of three South Korean villages near the heavily fortified border with North Korea have reached their breaking point after enduring more than 20 days of relentless psychological warfare, with North Korean loudspeakers blasting propaganda and disturbing sounds day and night since September 28.
The conflict escalated after an organization representing families of South Koreans abducted by North Korea announced plans to send 100,000 leaflets containing names and photographs of kidnapping victims across the border.
At a press conference on October 24 outside the Gyeonggi Provincial Office in Suwon, Choi Seong-ryong, the group’s representative, declared his intention to launch all leaflets from Paju “by any means necessary, two or three times if needed, until they land in Pyongyang.”
The protesters argued that “the inter-Korean confrontation, which began with anti-North Korea leaflets, has escalated to counter-propaganda balloons and loudspeaker broadcasts, and now has reached an extreme military standoff.” (Yonhap)
The announcement prompted an emergency response from local residents. At a recent emergency town hall meeting held in a civil defense shelter within Imjingak, about 30 residents from the border villages met with Paju Mayor Kim Kyung-il to voice their grievances about the continuous broadcasts.
“The volume of these broadcasts is the highest we’ve ever experienced,” said Lee Wan-bae, head of Tongil Chon village. “The broadcasts include disturbing sounds like howling wolves, stray dogs, crows, metal scraping, and machinery. Most residents are suffering from insomnia and neurosis.”
Approximately 30 residents from three villages within the Civilian Control Line — Daeseong-dong, Tongil Chon, and Haemaru — have pledged to block the leaflet launch using approximately 20 tractors. Lee explained that the escalating propaganda war is not only causing severe distress to residents but also devastating local tourism and worsening inter-Korean relations.
On October 22, about 30 members of a civic group composed of border area residents held a demonstration in front of the National Memorial for Abductees of the Korean War in Paju.
The protesters argued that “the inter-Korean confrontation, which began with anti-North Korea leaflets, has escalated to counter-propaganda balloons and loudspeaker broadcasts, and now has reached an extreme military standoff.”
Adding to the tensions, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry issued a major statement through the Korean Central News Agency on October 11, claiming that South Korea had “committed the heinous act of dispatching unmanned aerial vehicles over Pyongyang’s Central District on October 3, 9, and 10, dropping numerous anti-regime propaganda leaflets during nighttime hours.”
On October 22, about 30 members of a civic group composed of border area residents held a demonstration in front of the National Memorial for Abductees of the Korean War in Paju. (Yonhap)
The provincial government has taken steps to prevent further escalation. On October 15, Gyeonggi Province designated Paju, Gimpo, and Yeoncheon as “danger zones,” where violations of entry restrictions or other prohibited activities can result in up to one year in imprisonment or fines up to 10 million won.
Kim Dong-yeon, the governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited the affected area on October 23, promising residents to “use all available means to strongly regulate” the leaflet launches.
Paju Mayor Kim Kyung-il pledged to “mobilize all administrative resources along with 520,000 Paju citizens” to prevent the launches, citing threats to citizens’ safety and daily life.
National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik, during a meeting with residents on October 21, expressed regret over “North Korea’s anti-peace provocations that are raising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”
He suggested that the South Korean government should take the initiative to break the “vicious cycle” by actively preventing civilian groups from launching leaflets and temporarily suspending counter-propaganda broadcasts.
However, Choi remains defiant. “It’s a dereliction of duty for authorities to oppose our efforts to confirm the fate of abducted citizens,” he said. “Those who failed to protect citizens’ lives and property have no right to speak on this matter.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
