South Korea halts propaganda broadcasts to ease tensions with North Korea

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Ministry of National Defense of South Korea has officially suspended broadcasts of the propaganda radio station "Voice of Freedom", which was aimed at reaching North Korean listeners. The move is seen as a gesture to ease rising tensions with Pyongyang and reopen the door to inter-Korean dialogue.

This marks the first time in 15 years that the station has gone silent. "Voice of Freedom" began operations in 2010, shortly after the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan — an incident that Seoul blamed on North Korea, further straining relations between the two nations.

The radio station was one of South Korea's psychological warfare tools, used to broadcast news, cultural programs, and messages promoting freedom and democracy into the North, often via high-powered transmitters placed near the border. According to Reuters, it played a symbolic role in countering North Korean state propaganda.

Technically, the two Koreas remain at war, as the 1950–1953 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Shortly after taking office in June, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ordered the shutdown of border-area loudspeaker and radio propaganda broadcasts, which had resumed in recent years, in a bid to restart stalled inter-Korean dialogue.

President Lee has pledged to take further steps to reduce tensions and even offered to mediate a new summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as part of broader efforts to achieve lasting peace. However, Pyongyang has so far rejected Seoul’s proposals, continuing to accuse the South of hostility and alignment with U.S. military interests.

During past broadcasts, “Voice of Freedom” reportedly aired South Korean K-pop music and real-world news segments — both banned in the North — making it a rare and risky window into the outside world for curious North Korean listeners.