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North Korea mirrors South and dismantles loudspeakers ahead of Liberation Day

Published: 10 Aug. 2025, 17:26

The Defense Ministry says on Aug. 4 that it is starting to dismantle loudspeakers installed along the inter-Korean border. [NEWS1]

North Korea has dismantled some of its loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border in what appears to be a reciprocal move to South Korea’s recent removal of its own devices, a gesture seen as part of a cautious effort to manage tensions ahead of the Aug. 15 Liberation Day and an upcoming summit between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump.

North Korea started taking down loudspeakers in certain forward areas on Saturday morning, according to Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Of the roughly 40 locations where Pyongyang had installed the equipment, some have already been cleared, though the South Korean military said that it still needs to confirm whether all have been removed.

The move follows the South Korean military’s dismantling of more than 20 fixed loudspeakers between Aug. 4 and 5. The North also halted all anti-South broadcasts on June 11 within eight hours after Seoul suspended its broadcasts, mirroring the action.

North Korea’s decision came just two days after Seoul announced plans for the upcoming Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) combined exercise with the United States, an annual drill Pyongyang has long denounced as a rehearsal for invasion.

The photo shows a North Korean guard post and loudspeaker facing the South along the Imjin River in Paju, Gyeonggi, near the inter-Korean border on Aug. 10. [YONHAP]

Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, criticized it as an “invasive large-scale joint military exercise” in a statement on July 28.

Some analysts say the North’s decision to clear the equipment may have been influenced by adjustments to the UFS schedule.

Of the more than 40 training events initially planned for Aug. 18 to 28, South Korea and the United States postponed about half until next month. While the South Korean military cited extreme heat and flood recovery as reasons, many observers believe the change was intended to avoid provoking the North.

The photo shows a North Korean guard post and loudspeaker facing the South along the Imjin River in Paju, Gyeonggi, near the inter-Korean border on Aug. 10. [YONHAP]

“The exercise was adjusted,” a senior Unification Ministry official told reporters on Thursday. “We hope the training also contributes to easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”

Pyongyang may also be factoring in key political events in the South, including President Lee’s Liberation Day speech on Aug. 15 and his first summit with U.S. President Trump later this month. Analysts suggest the North could be anticipating conciliatory messages on inter-Korean relations from Lee and forward-looking remarks from both leaders on North Korea.

The photo shows a loudspeaker installed at a Korean guard post in the border area of Paju, Gyeonggi, on June 12. [NEWS1]

"The move appears to be a strategic choice by the North to manage tensions at a certain level," said Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University for Far Eastern Studies. "It is still focused on short-term, localized tension reduction rather than resuming dialogue or full cooperation.”

North Korea has yet to report the loudspeaker dismantling in its domestic media.

Kim Yo-jong’s statements on South Korea and the United States were released through the external Korean Central News Agency last month but not carried by the internal newspaper, Rodong Sinmun.

Observers say the regime appears willing to respond selectively to the South’s tension-reducing measures while maintaining its domestic narrative of South Korea as a hostile country.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY PARK HYUN-JU [[email protected]]