South Korea halts propaganda broadcasts toward North amid strategic shift

South Korea’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), recently suspended its loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, a move a senior official on July 23 says reflects a shift in the strategic landscape and comes in response to Pyongyang’s earlier halt of its own propaganda efforts.

The official said the decision was based on the assessment that, given the stark disparity in national capabilities, psychological warfare through loudspeaker broadcasts no longer carries practical or symbolic weight.

“North Korea stopped all loudspeaker broadcasts targeting the South in January 2024,” a high-ranking government official told reporters on July 23. “They took the first step, so we responded accordingly.”

Following the South’s suspension of its broadcasts, the North stopped transmitting jamming signals on 10 frequencies it had been using to counter the South’s broadcasts, according to the official.

Only two or three North Korean jamming frequencies remain in operation, seemingly primarily targeting ongoing broadcasts by KBS Hanminjok Radio and the Ministry of National Defense’s “Voice of Freedom.”

“We didn’t expect it, but the North took corresponding action,” the official said. “This shows they’re watching us closely.”

The official added that the NIS unit previously in charge of psychological operations against North Korea would pivot toward detecting security threats, issuing early warnings and building global consensus on matters related to national interest.

However, some analysts argue that the North’s suspension of its own broadcasts last year was not a goodwill gesture, but rather a calculated step aligned with Pyongyang’s strategic pivot.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had declared at a December 2023 Workers’ Party plenary meeting that South Korea should be regarded as a “hostile foreign country,” stating, “The vicious ambitions of the puppets [South Korea] to destroy our system and regime are no different whether they claim to be ‘democratic’ or wear a ‘conservative’ mask.”

His sister, Kim Yo-jong, widely regarded as his spokesperson, echoed this sentiment in a statement released in August 2022. Criticizing the former Yoon Suk Yeol administration’s “audacious initiative,” she said, “We sincerely wish we could live without being conscious of each other.”

These remarks suggest that the North’s halt to its propaganda broadcasts was not a conciliatory move but part of a broader strategy to disengage from the South. Pyongyang’s subsequent suspension of its jamming signals may also reflect practical limitations, such as budget constraints and inadequate infrastructure, rather than a diplomatic shift.

Looking ahead, the senior official said North Korea remains deeply entrenched in its hostility but may still be open to talks.

“The North has built up walls, but we believe dialogue is still possible,” the official said. “Still, they won’t return to talks easily, and certainly not in the short term.”

The official also emphasized the need to de-escalate military tensions and prevent accidental clashes.

On Pyongyang’s relationship with Washington, the official said North Korea appears to be “waiting for a clear signal from the United States.” This view aligns with the Lee Jae Myung administration’s stance that progress in inter-Korean relations is closely tied to developments in U.S.-North Korea relations.

The official also addressed the recent appointment of attorney Lee Sang-gap, a former member of Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), as the NIS’s new inspector general.

The official said the decision followed standard procedures and dismissed speculation about political intent.

“There is one position at the NIS that someone from outside can fill, and that is the inspector general,” the official said. “The appointment was aimed at increasing transparency, and it just happens to be a coincidence that both the chief of staff and the inspector general are former Minbyun members.”

The official added that the appointment of the inspector general was timed to coincide with a planned reshuffle of second- and third-grade positions at the end of August.

On the NIS’s broader personnel policies, the official noted a shift from past practices.

“In the past, [when the government changed,] all first-grade officials were replaced at once,” the official said. “But it seems the leadership now wants to move away from that pattern, to avoid unsettling the organization.”

BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]