Rubbish balloons and loudspeakers: Rising tensions on the Korean peninsula

The "exchange of courtesies" continues between North Korea and South Korea. First, the North Korean services showered South Korea with a heap of rubbish carried by balloons. In response, South Korea activated propaganda loudspeakers that had been silent for years in the demilitarised zone.

This marks another escalation in the relationship crisis between North and South Korea. The thaw from a few years ago is no longer in question. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un increasingly speaks about a potential outbreak of war between the countries.

There is no longer any discussion about national reunification, and even maintaining neutral diplomatic relations between the countries seems unlikely. This is evident in the wake of recent events and renewed tension at the border.

First, at the end of May and beginning of June, North Korea sent hundreds of balloons carrying rubbish into South Korea. According to the regime, this is a retaliatory response to the activities of activists who send propaganda leaflets to North Korea.

In response to provocations from the Pyongyang dictatorship, the government in Seoul decided to reinstall loudspeakers in the demilitarised zone. These devices originally appeared right after the signing of the armistice in the Korean War 1953.

The South Koreans use the loudspeakers to broadcast information from their country, inform about life in a democratic country, and promote human rights content.

It should be emphasised that the loudspeakers will appear at the border for the first time since 2018. During a thaw period between these countries, they were dismantled as part of agreements between the governments in Seoul and Pyongyang.

Now, the influential sister of the dictator, Kim Yo Jong, explains that there can be no talk of peace, and the situation at the border is currently "very dangerous".