North Korea says it will restart propaganda loudspeakers at the border
North Korea will restart propaganda loudspeakers aimed at South Korea along the border, Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong said, NPR and the Guardian reported. On Friday, the South offered military talks to avoid clashes, the Korea Herald reported. Tensions rose after a mine blast hurt three South Korean soldiers.
North Korea plans to restart propaganda broadcasts along its border with South Korea, according to NPR, the Guardian and the Korea Herald.
Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, made the announcement Wednesday after touring front-line areas, NPR reported. In a statement Thursday, she said the loudspeakers would be ready within days, NPR and the Guardian reported.
"Within October, the loudspeakers for psychological warfare against the ROK will be in operation along the whole border," she said, according to NPR. ROK is short for South Korea's formal name.
If the broadcasts resume, it would be the first loudspeaker exchange across the border in 16 months, the Guardian reported. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung stopped the South's broadcasts in June 2025 to ease tensions, it said.
The North has played eerie animal howls in recent years, while the South played K-pop and news, the Guardian reported.
A South Korean defense spokesperson said Seoul would need to take "proportionate measures" if the North goes ahead, NPR reported. The Guardian said no decision had been made.
Tensions have risen since a land mine blast in September hurt three South Korean soldiers, NPR and the Guardian reported. Seoul said it was a North Korean mine, but Pyongyang denied it, the Guardian and the Korea Herald reported.
North Korea has added mines, barbed wire and anti-tank barriers along the border, NPR and the Guardian reported. Kim Yo Jong called the work a "sacred and great undertaking," NPR said.
On Friday, South Korea proposed military talks with the North to prevent accidental clashes, the Korea Herald reported. The talks would aim to pin down where the border line runs and restore military phone lines, said Kim Hong-cheol, a deputy defense minister, according to the Herald.
"Any resulting harm would not be limited to one side," he said, according to the Herald. Seoul offered similar talks last November, but the North did not respond positively, the Herald reported.
What we know: North Korea says its loudspeakers will be back in October, and Seoul has offered talks.
What we don't: Whether the North will accept talks or the South will restart its own broadcasts.
Where outlets agree NPR, the Guardian and the Korea Herald report that Kim Yo Jong said North Korea will restart propaganda loudspeakers along the border this month.
Where they differ The cited reports agree on the key facts so far.