South Korea's loudspeakers face questions over reach into North

17/6/2024 12:19

        The loudspeakers deployed by South Korea to wage psychological warfare against North Korea faced audits and legal battles claiming they are too quiet,
        raising questions over how far into the reclusive North their propaganda messages can blast.
        
        South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea on June 9 for the first time since a now-defunct inter-Korean agreement banned them in 2018.
        
        The current speakers were among 40 systems purchased in 2016 after the two Koreas exchanged artillery fire in a 2015 dispute over the broadcasts.
        
        The military says the systems were designed to blare pop music and political messages as far as 10 kilometres (6.21 miles), enough to reach the city of Kaesong and its nearly 200,000 residents.
        
        But audits released at the time, seen by Reuters, showed the new speakers did not meet those standards and were not as powerful as the military called for.