North Korea Says It Will Restart Border Propaganda Loudspeakers; Seoul Urges Talks, Weighs Response

North Korea plans to restart anti-South Korea propaganda loudspeakers along its entire border, Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said Wednesday and again Thursday through state news agency KCNA. She spoke after touring border fortifications with senior military officials, and said the speakers would be on standby within days. She also said unspecified new countermeasures would be placed on alert. Seoul urged talks, and a defence ministry spokesperson said a proportional measure would be needed if the North proceeded, though no decision had been made. A landmine blast last month wounded three South Korean soldiers in the DMZ. Seoul blamed deliberate North Korean mine-laying, which Kim denied. A resumption would be the first loudspeaker exchange in 16 months, after President Lee Jae Myung suspended the South's broadcasts in June 2025.

Right-leaning outlets had not reported this story at the time of writing; left-leaning and alternative outlets had. Left-leaning NPR and The Guardian focus on the broadcast revival, with The Guardian adding the history of loudspeakers, Seoul's response and observed maintenance at the North's speakers. Al Jazeera, an alternative outlet, adds Kim's warnings, the landmine dispute and Seoul's call for dialogue.