Following North Korea's announcement of having
tested a hydrogen bomb early this week, South
Korea has restarted broadcasting propaganda
messages over loudspeakers at the inter-Korean
border at noon on Friday.
The measure is resumed in less than half a
year after it was last suspended following
the August 25th agreement last year.
With public opinion in favour AND against
this measure, we take a deeper look at the
reason of reactivating the broadcasts as well
as their possible implications.
Our News Feature tonight, with Lee Ji-won.
Starting Friday noon, South Korea's loudspeaker
propaganda broadcasts resumed in 11 locations
along the border.
This comes in response to North Korea's alleged
hydrogen-bomb test on Wednesday... and the
countermeasure has triggered diverse opinions
from the public.
"I agree with the government's decision.
We must firmly respond to any possible pre-emptive
strike from North Korea.
I actually think the response was a bit late.
We should've done it right away."
"I agree with the loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.
North Korea broke the agreement first.
So it is only right for us to retaliate."
"I don't think it is a good idea.
I think this will only provoke North Korea
to threaten the safety of South Koreans.
Also, instead of working together with the
U.S. and Japan, I think we should wait and
see how the situation develops."
The loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts first
started in 1962 as a response to the North's
use of loudspeakers to propagandize its regime.
The two sides continued blasting their speakers
for the next 10 years, until the joint communique
of July 4 was signed in 1972.
But in less than a decade, the broadcasts
resumed again when the North restarted its
broadcasts in 1980.
The two Koreas reached then an agreement in
2004, halting all broadcasting from both sides.
In 2010, the South Korean government considered
resuming the broadcasts after the sinking
of its warship Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors...
but the measure was never executed.
But in August of 2015, Seoul resumed loudspeaker
broadcasts for the first time in 11 years
as a retaliation to North Korea's DMZ land
mine blasts.
Yet again, the broadcasts stopped after 15
days with the inter-Korean agreement of August
25th.
Pyongyang's alleged H-bomb test early this
week was deemed an "unusual event", prompting
Seoul to resume its loudspeaker broadcast.
"North Korea's nuclear test clearly violates
UN Security Council Resolutions and the August
25th inter-Korean agreement.
Thus, the South Korean government decided
to resume loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts
starting at noon of Friday, January 8."
But there are other understandings of the
'unusual events'.
"In my opinion, if we classify nuclear tests
and firing of missiles as 'unusual events',
there will never be peace in the Korean peninsula
and we can never have inter-Korean talks."
North Korea has always been extremely sensitive
to South Korea's loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts.
South Korea's loudspeakers can be heard 24
kilometers away at night and 10 kilometers
away during the day.
This means that not only the frontline soldiers
can hear them, but also local residents living
near the demilitarized zone.
The broadcasts include, among others, internal
news on North Korea that are not easily accessible
in the North, news around the world, and content
depicting the economic advantages that South
Korea has over North Korea.
"Dear North Koreans, it is normal to have
secrets and personal thoughts.
But a dictatorship like yours will try to
control even your most personal thoughts."
Speakers also broadcast weather updates and
even K-pop music.
"When North Koreans hear the truth about South
Korea and how the South is nothing like they
have been trained to believe in, they will
be very confused... probably causing great
commotion in the state."
The media played a crucial role in Germany's
reunification.
East Germany was completely isolated from
the rest of the world after Germany's division,
but the broadcasts from the west caused East
Germans to seek freedom.
As powerful as loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts
can be, they are also dangerous.
The broadcasts may also provoke North Korea
to engage in military actions as it did last
year in August when the regime fired projectiles
towards the speakers.
"It is true that our loudspeaker propaganda
broadcasts can provoke the North.
But with the U.S. forces in alliance with
the South, the North cannot easily attack
us."
With tensions in the Korean Peninsula heightening,
the South has put its military readiness to
its highest level, attentive of any further
provocations.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
