North Korean Defector... Is It Due to Loudspeakers Targeting the North? [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

Following the defection of one North Korean resident through the Han River estuary, there are observations that loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea may have had an influence.

According to the military on the 9th, one North Korean resident moved to Gyodongdo Island through the neutral waters of the Han River estuary at dawn on the 8th, timed with the ebb tide, and expressed their intention to defect to our side. The neutral waters of the Han River estuary are a buffer zone similar to a demilitarized zone (DMZ) set in the river to prevent accidental clashes between the South and the North. The width of the neutral waters in the Han River estuary ranges from about 10 km at its widest point to approximately 900 m at its narrowest.

The shortest distance from the North Korean side to Gyodongdo is about 2.5 km, and it is reported that the individual walked this distance. Since loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea have been conducted since the 21st of last month, there are also observations that these broadcasts may have had an influence. The audible range of the new loudspeakers is 8 to 10 km for mobile loudspeakers and 12 to 15 km for fixed loudspeakers. During the evening, when sound propagates well, the broadcast can be heard from as far as 30 km away.

On the same day, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik attended the National Assembly's National Defense Committee plenary session and evaluated the operation as "a successful mission that continuously monitored from the departure point to induce the defection."