Military Simultaneously Operates Loudspeakers for 'Trash Balloon Retaliation'
From 6 AM Today... Planned for 16 Hours
North Korean Soldier Attempting Defection Arrested, Movements Monitored
Despite repeated warnings, North Korea continued to release filth balloons, prompting the military authorities to conduct loudspeaker broadcasts against the North on all fronts. There is also speculation that North Korea may deliberately escalate tensions, similar to when it declared a 'quasi-war state' in the past and launched artillery provocations.
The past scene of loudspeaker movement and installation conducted at the front line. [Photo by the Joint Chiefs of Staff]
According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the 22nd, the military began operating loudspeakers from 6 a.m. that day. The broadcasts are scheduled to continue for 16 hours until 10 p.m. Initially, the military operated the loudspeakers flexibly and partially, but after North Korea resumed releasing filth balloons, it started a 'full-scale operation' from 1 p.m. the previous day. Instead of broadcasting by dividing time slots by front lines, all fixed loudspeakers are now operated simultaneously.
The 'Voice of Freedom' broadcast produced by the Republic of Korea Psychological Warfare Unit reportedly includes news such as the successive defections of North Korean diplomats, including Ri Il-gyu, the political counselor at the North Korean embassy in Cuba, and the death of many North Korean soldiers in an explosion accident during mine-laying operations in the northern part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). It is also known to include information that the South Korean military had been monitoring the entire process of a soldier attempting to defect in the front line of Gangwon Province on the 18th and being captured. The intention is to inform soldiers and residents of information that has not spread inside North Korea due to severe information control, thereby causing unrest.
The release of filth balloons subsided around 8 p.m. the previous day. By the morning of that day, about 500 'trash balloons' had been identified, with fewer than half?about 240?falling in areas such as northern Gyeonggi Province and Gangwon Province. Most were filled with paper, and no hazardous substances have been found so far.
There have been no unusual movements detected from the North Korean military so far. However, since loudspeakers are a psychological warfare tool that North Korea fears the most, there is a possibility of high-level provocations. Kim Yo-jong, deputy director of the North Korean Workers' Party, threatened on the 16th, saying, "Prepare for a dreadful and shocking price," and warned, "If the petty and dirty acts of South Korean trash continue, a change in our response method will inevitably arise."
It cannot be ruled out that the 'new method' North Korea has warned about could involve physical clashes, including localized warfare. When the South Korean government resumed loudspeaker broadcasts in August 2015 following North Korea's landmine provocations, North Korea instead declared a 'quasi-war state' and ordered front-line soldiers to be fully armed. Subsequently, it deliberately escalated tensions by launching artillery provocations on the western front and firing flare guns at the loudspeakers.
The military's stance is firm. If North Korea again releases filth balloons or carries out other types of provocations, the military plans not only to continue operating the loudspeakers but also to expand their use. In addition to the 24 fixed loudspeakers currently in operation, 16 mobile loudspeakers are reported to be ready for deployment. A Joint Chiefs of Staff official stated, "We are closely monitoring North Korean military activities and maintaining the capability and posture to overwhelmingly respond to any provocations."
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