S. Korea responds with loudspeakers after N. Korea sends balloons for 2 days

In response to North Korea sending balloons for the eighth time on Thursday and Friday, the South Korean military resumed broadcasting propaganda through loudspeakers. The broadcasting lasted 10 hours, starting on Thursday evening immediately after the North sent the balloons. This was much longer than the broadcasting last month, which continued for two hours.

“As warned several times, the South Korean military broadcast propaganda from Thursday evening until early Friday morning targeting the region where balloons were sent from,” The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Friday. The broadcasting began at 6 p.m. on Thursday, right after the balloons crossed the military demarcation line, and ended around 4 a.m. on Friday when the balloons ceased. On June 9, when propaganda broadcasting resumed for the first time in six months, it began the day after balloons were sent and lasted only two hours. This time, the South Korean military reacted faster and for a longer time.

“As North Korea was detected for preparing the balloons even after two days of propaganda broadcasting, we resumed broadcasting again on Thursday afternoon,” said a government official. “It will continue in different regions at varying times until the North stops sending balloons.” An official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the decision to resume broadcasting was made as North Korea did not change its behavior even after it was given time for self-reflection.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over 40 balloons out of more than 200 sent by North Korea for two days landed in the South, including north Gyeonggi Province. Most of the content inside was torn pieces of paper and did not contain manure or other garbage.


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com