South Korea Pauses Anti-North Korea Radio Broadcasts to Ease Tensions
By Global Leaders Insights Team | Sep 01, 2025
South Korea has stopped its military radio broadcasts aimed at North Korea, a move to dial down tensions with its neighbor to the north, the defense ministry said Monday.
The program, called "Voice of Freedom," has long been a form of psychological outreach, sharing news about North Korea’s government, South Korea’s economic success, and even K-pop music. This is the first time in 15 years the broadcasts have been halted, since they restarted after North Korea’s 2010 attack on a South Korean navy ship.
The decision is part of President Lee Jae Myung’s push to improve relations with North Korea since he took office in June 2025. His administration has already taken steps like shutting off loudspeakers that blared propaganda across the border and removing them entirely last month.
- South Korea halts anti-North Korea radio broadcasts to ease border tensions
- Voice of Freedom program paused as Seoul seeks thaw with Pyongyang
- President Lee Jae Myung pushes peace moves after ending loudspeaker propaganda
These efforts are meant to pave the way for talks between the two Koreas, which are still technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.
“The Ministry of National Defence has suspended broadcasts of Voice of Freedom as part of measures to ease military tensions between the South and North,” said Lee Kyung-ho, a deputy spokesperson for the defense ministry, during a press conference. This follows South Korea’s decision to suspend a 2018 military agreement meant to lower border tensions, which North Korea walked away from in 2023.
So far, North Korea hasn’t warmed to these gestures. Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, recently called the loudspeaker shutdown “not enough.” North Korea seems more focused on strengthening ties with countries like China and Russia, with Kim Jong Un recently attending a military parade in Beijing alongside leaders Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.
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Experts say South Korea’s moves show a genuine effort to make peace, but it’s up to North Korea to decide whether to engage. For now, Seoul is keeping the door open for diplomacy to ease decades of strain on the Korean Peninsula.
