SEOUL - South Korea's military intensified its psychological operations along the North Korean border on Sunday, utilizing loudspeakers to broadcast K-pop music and news in a retaliatory move against North Korea’s persistent launches of propaganda-laden trash balloons.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the decision to escalate loudspeaker broadcasts, which began at 1 p.m., was in direct response to recent threats from North Korea and the latest deployment of approximately 360 trash-filled balloons by the North on the same day. This move includes broadcasts of popular K-pop songs by BTS such as "Dynamite" and "Butter," aimed at encouraging North Korean soldiers to defect. The JCS stated that this full-scale operation was a necessary step given North Korea's increased hostile activities along the front lines, which have included over 2,000 trash balloons sent across the border in nine separate events.
Kim Yo-jong, sister to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and a key official in the Workers' Party, had previously issued a stern warning against the continuation of South Korea's leaflet campaigns, labeling them as provocations that could lead to severe consequences. Despite this, South Korea proceeded with its broadcasts, which had been intermittently active since June 9, after a six-year pause. These measures are part of a broader strategy to counter what Seoul perceives as escalation tactics from the North, including the recent barrage of trash balloons filled mostly with scrap paper, which landed across Seoul and northern Gyeonggi Province.
The situation remains tense, as both nations have a history of military confrontations over similar psychological operations, including a 2015 incident involving artillery fire exchanged over a loudspeaker campaign by South Korea. This historical context underscores the current atmosphere of heightened vigilance, with the South Korean military advising the public to avoid contact with any debris from North Korean balloons and report them to authorities immediately.