South Korea resumed anti-North Korean loudspeaker broadcasts in response to North Korea’s recent balloon campaign, which sent over 1,000 balloons filled with trash and manure into the South, Associated Press reports.
The loudspeakers, which had been halted in 2018 during a period of engagement, will broadcast anti-Pyongyang messages, K-pop songs, and international news. Previous loudspeaker broadcasts have led to military confrontations, including artillery exchanges in 2015. South Korean officials criticized North Korea for attempting to cause disruptions with the balloon campaign and stressed that any escalation would be Pyongyang’s responsibility.
North Korea’s balloon campaign was reportedly in retaliation for South Korean activists sending anti-North Korean leaflets and USB sticks containing South Korean media content via balloons. North Korea’s Vice Defense Minister stated that the balloon campaign would stop if the South Korean activists ceased their actions. However, they have so far continued to send leaflets, exacerbating tensions.
