South Korean authorities have begun removing loudspeakers that broadcast anti-North Korean messages along the border, the defence ministry said on Monday.
The move comes as part of President Lee Jae Myung’s efforts to reduce friction with Pyongyang.
Shortly after taking office in June, Lee’s government shut off the broadcasts that had targeted the North’s leadership and played loud K-pop music.
However, North Korea rejected the overture, stating it had “no interest” in any talks with the South Korea.
Still, the South Korea has moved forward with taking down the equipment.
“This is just a practical measure to help ease tensions between the South and the North,” the ministry said in a statement.
Photos released by the defence ministry showed soldiers unplugging and removing the loudspeakers, which had been mounted in rows along the heavily fortified border.
The Korean War, which ended in a 1953 armistice, left the two nations technically still at war.
Over the years, both sides have used loudspeaker broadcasts as tools of psychological warfare, especially during periods of heightened tension.
In 2018, then-President Moon Jae-in halted the broadcasts as part of a wider agreement to stop all hostile actions near the border.
But under President Yoon Suk Yeol, the policy was reversed.
Last year, the loudspeakers returned, blasting criticism and K-pop music in retaliation for North Korea sending balloons filled with trash across the border.
Since the South Korea suspended broadcasts again in June, officials say North Korea has also gone quiet, easing months of noise disruption for South Korean border residents.
Still, North Korea has shown little gratitude.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the move was “not the work worthy of appreciation.”
