Ministry of Unification: "No Broadcasts via North Korea Loudspeakers, So No Regret Statement Yet"

"If Broadcasting Starts, It Would Be Very Regrettable"
Urging Restraint on Installing Leaflets and Loudspeakers Directed at South Korea

On the 23rd, a South Korean loudspeaker system was installed in Gaepung County, Hwanghaebuk-do, North Korea, as seen from the Peace Observatory in Ganghwa County, Incheon.

Amid signs that North Korea is reinstalling loudspeaker broadcasting facilities aimed at South Korea for the first time in two years, the Ministry of Unification expressed on the 23rd that North Korea's move is undesirable. However, since no broadcasts have been conducted yet, it stated that it is not at a stage to express official regret.

A Ministry of Unification official told reporters on the same day regarding North Korea's installation of loudspeaker facilities targeting the South, "If North Korea starts loudspeaker broadcasts, the government would find it deeply regrettable," but added, "Since it is only a notice and no actual broadcasts have been carried out yet, we do not think it is appropriate to express regret prematurely."

When asked whether the installation of loudspeakers violates the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, the official explained, "In the Panmunjom Declaration, South and North Korea agreed to cease all hostile acts including loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflet drops around the Military Demarcation Line and to dismantle the means for such acts," adding, "If loudspeakers are installed, it can be seen as a violation of this clause."

Regarding a follow-up question on whether just installing the facilities without broadcasting violates the Panmunjom Declaration, the official said, "We cannot consider actions not yet taken as violations," but also explained, "Considering the purpose of the loudspeakers, reinstalling them can be seen as a path toward violating the agreement and is not a desirable course."

The April 27 Panmunjom Declaration states, "From May 1, all hostile acts including loudspeaker broadcasts and leaflet drops around the Military Demarcation Line will cease, and the means for such acts will be dismantled, with the aim of making the Demilitarized Zone a practical peace zone."

Regarding North Korea's recent announcement of leaflet drops targeting the South and movements to install loudspeakers, the Ministry urged North Korea to exercise restraint.

The official said, "We deeply regret seeing the contents agreed upon in the Panmunjom Declaration being violated due to leaflet drops and loudspeaker broadcasts targeting the South," and added, "We must promptly stop these unproductive hostile acts and have South and North Korea come together to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula."

When asked if there has been any contact with the North since the inter-Korean communication lines were cut, the official replied, "No."

Regarding claims by a domestic North Korean defector group that they conducted leaflet drops targeting the North on the night of the 22nd, the Ministry of Unification said it is verifying the facts.

The official emphasized, "Whether it is leaflets targeting the North or the South, it does not help the development of inter-Korean relations," and added, "The South and North Korean leaders agreed at Panmunjom to stop leaflet activities, and for the improvement of inter-Korean relations and the promotion of peace on the Korean Peninsula, unproductive leaflet drops must be immediately halted."

Park Sang-hak, the representative of the Free North Korea Movement Alliance, stated, "On the 22nd, between 11 PM and midnight, we sent leaflets to North Korea from Deogeun-ri, Wollong-myeon, Paju City," adding, "We distributed the leaflets in a very dark place to avoid police surveillance." The photo shows the leaflets distributed by the organization. Park said, "Since the police have been continuously tracking me, this time I trained amateur members to distribute the leaflets," and claimed, "Due to difficulties in purchasing hydrogen gas and having all the hydrogen gas confiscated, we bought helium gas, which is 17 times more expensive, to distribute the leaflets."

Meanwhile, the North Korean defector group Freedom Korea United claimed that they dropped leaflets targeting North Korea on the night of the 22nd in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.

Park Sang-hak, the representative of Freedom Korea United, said, "Between 11 PM and midnight on the 22nd, we sent leaflets targeting North Korea from Deogeun-ri, Wollong-myeon, Paju City," adding, "We dropped the leaflets in a very dark place to avoid police surveillance."

According to Park, six members of Freedom Korea United attached 500,000 leaflets titled 'The Truth of the 6.25 Atrocity,' 500 booklets titled 'The Country That Became Real,' 2,000 one-dollar bills, and 1,000 SD cards to 20 large balloons and released them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.