S. Korea to double loudspeakers pointed north
July 6, 2016
The South Korean Defense Ministry plans to expand its propaganda broadcasts blasted into North Korea by doubling the number of loudspeakers on its border, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Wednesday.
"We plan to add some 10 new anti-North loudspeaker broadcast facilities by the end of the year," an unnamed military official told the news agency.
Broadcasting across the border "aims to correctly inform the North Korean military and people of the reality that the Kim (Jong-Un) regime is misleading its people and hurting the economy by engaging in the dual policy of seeking nuclear and economic development at the same time," the official added.
In August, Seoul recommenced cross-border broadcasts for the first time in 11 years after two of its border patrol soldiers were injured by mines it accused Pyongyang of planting.
Two weeks later, it pulled the plug on the broadcasts after North Korea expressed regret over the mine explosion.
However, since Pyongyang's internationally condemned missile launch in January, Seoul has resumed transmitting a mix of propaganda, news and Korean pop music across the border.
South Korea's plans to expand its broadcasting capabilities will be complemented with a technological upgrade to boost the speakers' range to more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
In June, North Korea launched two medium-range Musudan missiles, prompting fears that Pyongyang could hit US targets in the Pacific, including its Guam airbase.
ls/sms (AFP, dpa)