Tensions rise along DMZ as South resumes loudspeaker broadcasts

Posted on : 2015-08-11 17:48 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Resumption of announcements comes after DMZ bomb that wounded soldiers, and increases chance of armed clash
 Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi Province

The risk of an inter-Korean armed clash is looking more serious after South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts to the North on Aug. 10.

The move came in immediate response to a land-mine explosion that seriously injured soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which the ministry called a “clear provocation by the North Korean military.”

In an announcement on Aug. 10, the ministry said it planned to resume broadcasts only around the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) for now.

“Of the eleven systems our military has for loudspeaker broadcasts to North Korea, we will be operating two of them for now in the western front and central front regions,” a senior military officer said on condition of anonymity.

“Our current plan is to continue the broadcasts indefinitely as a measure to ensure North Korea pays for the military provocation it perpetrated,” the officer added.

 taken on Aug. 4 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and made public on Aug. 10. After the mine exploded
taken on Aug. 4 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and made public on Aug. 10. After the mine exploded

Regarding the content of the broadcasts, the officer said they would consist “mainly of information about South Korea’s development and the facts about the land mine provocation, rather than criticisms of the North Korean regime.”

But the move is still seen as likely to generate a fierce backlash from Pyongyang, which has shown a strong aversion to psychological warfare tactics like loudspeaker broadcasts in the past, calling them “an insult to our supreme dignity” and a “scheme against the Republic.” Indeed, the North Korean military has said it will “fire directly to destroy” if loudspeaker broadcasts are resumed in the South. In 2010, then-President Lee Myung-bak announced plans to resume the broadcasts - which had been halted since 2004 - as retaliation for the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan warship. The plans were never carried out, perhaps out of concerns about the backlash from the North.

The military is viewing the latest episode as a deliberate provocation by the North Korean military to disrupt their security posture ahead of Ulchi Focus Lens, a joint military and government exercise with the US that begins on Aug. 17.

“This provocation by North Korea is similar to what we saw with the Cheonan incident,” said a source with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “If you substitute a land mine for a torpedo, it seems their intention is to poke holes in our security posture by raising questions about who was responsible and stirring up the same kind of domestic conflict in the South that happened with the Cheonan.”

“We can’t just let ourselves get pushed around anymore,” the source said.

The decision to resume broadcasts appeared to be based on the military’s conclusion that a clear message needed to be sent to the North.

The latest development raise the specter of veritable suffocation for already severely strained inter-Korean relations. The South Korean Ministry of Unification did attempt to send a letter to the North on Aug. 5 proposing senior-level talks, but the current situation leaves any resumption of dialogue looking very unlikely.

“This decision to resume broadcasts is something that was reached in consultation with the Blue House Office of National Security,” said a military officer, suggesting the government wanted to send the message that it would respond forcefully without worrying too much about the effects on dialogue prospects.

The Ministry of National Defense has said it may consider additional measures against the North.

“The resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts is a headache for North Korea,” explained a senior ministry officer.

“It’s the first example of the ‘harsh price’ that the Joint Chiefs warned about in their statement to North Korea today, and we’ll continue to monitor the situation,” the officer added.

The officer also said they would retaliate “defensively” against any military response from North Korea over the broadcasts. Given their past threats of “striking at the source” of weapon-based activities by North Korea, the chances of the latest episode leading to a vicious cycle of intensifying armed clashes appear to be growing.

 

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

 

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