South Korea Dismantles Propaganda Loudspeakers As Tensions At DMZ Ease

Picture: South Korean soldiers dismantle loudspeakers used for propaganda broadcasts near the demilitarized zone (Picture: Kim Hong-Ji )

South Korea has dismantled huge loudspeakers used to blast anti-Pyongyang broadcasts and K-pop songs from its border with North Korea.

The move comes as the South's president asked the United Nations to observe the North's planned closure of its nuclear testing site.

The dismantling of dozens of South Korean loudspeakers was in line with reconciliation steps the leaders of the rival Koreas set at their historic summit last Friday.

It is still unclear if such measures could bring permanent peace because no major breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear standoff was produced after the Korean summit.

South Korean media reported that Seoul detected signs that North Korea was taking similar steps on Tuesday, but the defence ministry said it could not confirm the report.

Before the summit, both Koreas had halted propaganda broadcasts along the 248-km (154-mile) long border.

Cold War-era propaganda warfare had resurfaced in 2016 when tensions rose sharply after the North's fourth nuclear test.

Seoul broadcast criticism of the North's abysmal human rights conditions, world news and weather forecasts as well as pop songs.

The North broadcast anti-South messages and praise for its own political system.