North Korea, in a rare move, has stopped blocking radio signals from the south decades after witnessing enmities in bilateral relations to lower tension in the divided Korean peninsula.
The days came after Seoul stopped government-run Propaganda broadcasts to switch to pragmatic diplomacy by shunning friend and foe tags. The South Korean official told reporters on Thursday that “Seoul was not expecting the unblocking of radio signals by the North. Though it appears to be a reciprocal move aimed at breaking the ice between the two neighbours.”
He said, “The move shows that North is closely and sensitively monitoring our actions,” adding that the step came despite Pyongyang’s formal designation of Seoul as a “hostile foreign state.”
Both nations, since the Korean peninsula was divided into North and South, have sought unification on favourable terms. Though despite lowering its ties to an all-time low in 2024, Pyongyang still stopped its propaganda radio broadcasts on 14 different frequencies directed at the South.
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South Korea’s new President Lee Jae-myung said, “If the North resumes its broadcasts towards the South, we will respond accordingly, but we will not be the first to provoke.”
Kim, on Wednesday, witnessed his forces conducting field tests of the artillery and said on the occasion that the forces of North Korea should remain prepared for possible war with arch rivals, referring to South Korea. While both nations have started to downplay tensions against each other, it remains unclear whether or not this move will materialise into something more positive in the coming days, with relatively low expectations from either side.
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