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Experts divided over effectiveness of amplifiers
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The South Korean government is contemplating the reintroduction of loudspeaker operations along the inter-Korean border as a response to North Korea's escalating hostilities toward the South.
In light of North Korea's recent actions, particularly the launching of nearly 1,000 balloons carrying debris into South Korea since last week, the presidential office and the defense ministry are actively considering the option of utilizing loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border.
The South Korean military used to operate loudspeakers as part of its psychological warfare tactics against North Korea. It carried broadcasts on weather, K-pop and news critical of the North Korean regime, leading Pyongyang to express strong opposition due to possible effects on its military and the general public.
The use of the loudspeakers has been suspended since the inter-Korean summit in April 2018. At that time, the two Koreas agreed to stop all hostile acts, including loudspeaker broadcasting and the scattering of leaflets in areas along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas.
But Pyongyang has disregarded such agreements by persisting in military provocations. Most recently, it sent balloons laden with various forms of waste, including cigarette butts, paper, plastic bags and bottles.
According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sunday, the North has sent at least 720 trash-carrying balloons that floated across the MDL and fell in various parts of the South, including Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and even as far as North Gyeongsang Province, since 8 p.m. Saturday.
This came after Pyongyang had already sent around 260 similar balloons to the South last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, admitted that flying hundreds of balloons across the border was a “government-led” action.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, shared the view during their talks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Sunday, that North Korea's launch of the trash-laden balloons constitutes a violation of the Armistice Agreement set in 1953, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
They pledged support for an investigation by the United Nations Command (UNC).
The presidential National Security Council (NSC) also held a meeting, presided over by National Security Adviser Jang Ho-jin, later on Sunday, according to the presidential office. It marked the first time the office held an NSC meeting over the trash-carrying balloon issue.
A source close to the matter noted that a proposal to reinstate loudspeaker broadcasts along the border was discussed at the meeting as part of countermeasures.
The defense ministry is also preparing for the possibility of resuming loudspeaker broadcasts.
“Regarding psychological warfare against North Korea, the military is prepared to take immediate, appropriate measures in the event of an emergency,” another military source said.
There is also increasing pressure from the National Assembly and other organizations to restart the operation of loudspeakers.
Rep. Han Ki-ho, a four-term lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), proposed that South Korea resume using loudspeaker broadcasts rather than issuing simple warnings.
“The National Assembly and the government should work together to revise related laws to immediately resume loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea,” Han said.
The Korean Veterans Association also said in a statement, Friday, “The UNC announced that the North’s military action of deploying trash-laden balloons is a violation of the Armistice Agreement and international law, but our military didn't respond immediately and strongly ... We must respond firmly to crush the North’s willingness for addition provocations.”
Experts, however, are divided over the effectiveness of resuming the use of the loudspeakers.
Moon Seong-mook, the chief of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, asserted that the government needs to consider the option as a top priority.
“The loudspeakers are an effective tool to pressure North Korea. I bet North Korea will continue its aggressive acts, but there is no reason to shy away from what you need to do because you’re afraid of its consequences,” Moon said.
“North Korea failed to keep its promises from the April 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration, redefining inter-Korean relations as two states hostile to each other and continuing military provocations. The president has the authority to change related laws, and once he makes the decision, the military should be ready to take necessary steps.”
However, Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University, said using the loudspeakers could ratchet up tensions further on the Korean Peninsula.
“If we resume loudspeaker broadcasts, it is clear that North Korea will respond sensitively to the matter. That will inevitably increase tensions on the peninsula, which will unnerve residents living near the border area,” Lim said.
The loudspeakers have been a hot-button issue between the two Koreas, leading to many disputes over the decades. Both sides have deployed speakers to direct propaganda at one another, and the North Korean regime has, on many occasions, responded sensitively to the matter.
Experts divided over effectiveness of amplifiers
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The South Korean government is contemplating the reintroduction of loudspeaker operations along the inter-Korean border as a response to North Korea's escalating hostilities toward the South.
In light of North Korea's recent actions, particularly the launching of nearly 1,000 balloons carrying debris into South Korea since last week, the presidential office and the defense ministry are actively considering the option of utilizing loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border.
The South Korean military used to operate loudspeakers as part of its psychological warfare tactics against North Korea. It carried broadcasts on weather, K-pop and news critical of the North Korean regime, leading Pyongyang to express strong opposition due to possible effects on its military and the general public.
The use of the loudspeakers has been suspended since the inter-Korean summit in April 2018. At that time, the two Koreas agreed to stop all hostile acts, including loudspeaker broadcasting and the scattering of leaflets in areas along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas.
But Pyongyang has disregarded such agreements by persisting in military provocations. Most recently, it sent balloons laden with various forms of waste, including cigarette butts, paper, plastic bags and bottles.
According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sunday, the North has sent at least 720 trash-carrying balloons that floated across the MDL and fell in various parts of the South, including Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and even as far as North Gyeongsang Province, since 8 p.m. Saturday.
This came after Pyongyang had already sent around 260 similar balloons to the South last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, admitted that flying hundreds of balloons across the border was a “government-led” action.
South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and his U.S. counterpart, Lloyd Austin, shared the view during their talks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Sunday, that North Korea's launch of the trash-laden balloons constitutes a violation of the Armistice Agreement set in 1953, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
They pledged support for an investigation by the United Nations Command (UNC).
The presidential National Security Council (NSC) also held a meeting, presided over by National Security Adviser Jang Ho-jin, later on Sunday, according to the presidential office. It marked the first time the office held an NSC meeting over the trash-carrying balloon issue.
A source close to the matter noted that a proposal to reinstate loudspeaker broadcasts along the border was discussed at the meeting as part of countermeasures.
The defense ministry is also preparing for the possibility of resuming loudspeaker broadcasts.
“Regarding psychological warfare against North Korea, the military is prepared to take immediate, appropriate measures in the event of an emergency,” another military source said.
There is also increasing pressure from the National Assembly and other organizations to restart the operation of loudspeakers.
Rep. Han Ki-ho, a four-term lawmaker of the ruling People Power Party (PPP), proposed that South Korea resume using loudspeaker broadcasts rather than issuing simple warnings.
“The National Assembly and the government should work together to revise related laws to immediately resume loudspeaker broadcasts against North Korea,” Han said.
The Korean Veterans Association also said in a statement, Friday, “The UNC announced that the North’s military action of deploying trash-laden balloons is a violation of the Armistice Agreement and international law, but our military didn't respond immediately and strongly ... We must respond firmly to crush the North’s willingness for addition provocations.”
Experts, however, are divided over the effectiveness of resuming the use of the loudspeakers.
Moon Seong-mook, the chief of the Unification Strategy Center at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy, asserted that the government needs to consider the option as a top priority.
“The loudspeakers are an effective tool to pressure North Korea. I bet North Korea will continue its aggressive acts, but there is no reason to shy away from what you need to do because you’re afraid of its consequences,” Moon said.
“North Korea failed to keep its promises from the April 2018 Panmunjeom Declaration, redefining inter-Korean relations as two states hostile to each other and continuing military provocations. The president has the authority to change related laws, and once he makes the decision, the military should be ready to take necessary steps.”
However, Lim Eul-chul, a professor of North Korean studies at Kyungnam University, said using the loudspeakers could ratchet up tensions further on the Korean Peninsula.
“If we resume loudspeaker broadcasts, it is clear that North Korea will respond sensitively to the matter. That will inevitably increase tensions on the peninsula, which will unnerve residents living near the border area,” Lim said.
The loudspeakers have been a hot-button issue between the two Koreas, leading to many disputes over the decades. Both sides have deployed speakers to direct propaganda at one another, and the North Korean regime has, on many occasions, responded sensitively to the matter.
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