No signs of North further dismantling border loudspeakers, Joint Chiefs of Staff say
Published: 11 Aug. 2025, 14:41
![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]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/11/237d16f8-191f-4855-8e1a-b44dbf072251.jpg)
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]
North Korea does not appear to have removed any additional loudspeakers installed along the border that blare noise into South Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said Monday, after the North was seen beginning to dismantle some last week.
On Saturday, the JCS said it detected the North Korean military removing border loudspeakers in parts of the front-line area, apparently in response to South Korea's recent complete removal of its own loudspeakers to reduce inter-Korean tensions.
"We have no additional details to share," JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun told a regular press briefing. "Additional verification is needed as to whether [the removal] will take place in all border areas. Our military is closely monitoring the North Korean military's activities."
Lee declined to specify how many loudspeakers North Korea has taken down. He noted that the North has in the past frequently removed and reinstalled small loudspeakers along the border as part of "maintenance," adding that the military needs to wait and see whether the latest move will lead to additional removals.
The North's move came after South Korea completed dismantling its anti-Pyongyang loudspeakers along the heavily fortified border, following its suspension of propaganda broadcasts critical of the North in June in line with President Lee Jae Myung's efforts to mend strained ties with the North.
Seoul's Unification Ministry, in charge of inter-Korean affairs, said Pyongyang appears to have "swiftly" removed the loudspeakers in response to the South's action.
"The government will consistently push for measures aimed at reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and establishing a mood for peace," ministry spokesperson Koo Byoung-sam said in a press briefing Monday.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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