Ganghwa County: "Finally, We Are Seeing Results"
Paju City: "Residents Have Been Unable to Sleep Comfortably for Nearly a Year"
On June 11, President Lee Jaemyung ordered the military to halt loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, and Ganghwa County in Incheon, which has suffered long-term damage from North Korean loudspeaker noise targeting the South, expressed its welcome for the decision.
In a statement released that day, Ganghwa County said, "We welcome the government's decision," and added, "Residents have been requesting a halt to the broadcasts toward North Korea, and we are finally seeing the results."
The county further emphasized, "We hope this decision will put an end to North Korea's noise attacks targeting the South so that our residents can return to their daily lives." Since July of last year, bizarre loudspeaker noises such as metal scraping and ghostly sounds broadcast from the North have been heard day and night in the border areas of Ganghwa County.
It is reported that a significant number of the estimated 22,000 residents of Ganghwa County within range of the broadcasts toward the South have suffered mental and physical harm, including sleep disorders and headaches.
The noise from the broadcasts toward the South has also dealt a severe blow to the local tourism industry, including the lodging business, in Ganghwa County. Some farmers have filed complaints that goats have miscarried and chickens have experienced abnormal egg-laying due to the noise.
Previously, the "Committee for Countermeasures Against Loudspeaker Broadcasts Toward North and South," composed of Ganghwa County residents, stated, "Loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea have led to the arrival of trash balloons from the North, and the broadcasts toward North Korea have resulted in retaliatory broadcasts from the North targeting the South." The committee demanded, "Both the broadcasts toward North Korea and the broadcasts targeting the South must be halted immediately."
Daeseong-dong, a village located within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, also welcomed the decision. Kim Donggu, the village chief, told Yonhap News that day, "We welcome the government's decision. Residents have been requesting a halt to the broadcasts toward North Korea, and we are finally seeing the results," he said with joy. He explained that for nearly a year, residents of the village have been unable to sleep comfortably due to the loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea and the retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts from the North. "The North Korean broadcasts targeting the South were truly chilling?unlike anything I have ever heard in my life," he said. He added, "We hope this decision will put an end to North Korea's noise attacks targeting the South so that our villagers can return to their daily lives as soon as possible."
Lee Wanbae, the village chief of Tongilchon, a nearby village, reported that for the past year, residents of Tongilchon, Haemaru Village, and Daeseong-dong have endured tremendous hardship due to the loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea and the retaliatory broadcasts from the North. He said, "We will be watching today and tomorrow to see whether North Korea continues its loudspeaker broadcasts targeting the South both day and night."
It is also reported that since July of last year, bizarre loudspeaker noises such as metal scraping and ghostly sounds broadcast from the North have been heard day and night in the border areas of Paju and Yeoncheon.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
