The South Korean military resumed loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea on Sunday after a six-year interval. The move is in retaliation for hundreds of trash balloons the North sent across the border this weekend.
South Korean media reported that the broadcasts on Sunday afternoon included some news stories.
The military says whether the broadcasts continue depends entirely on how the North responds. It says Pyongyang is fully responsible for the heightened tensions.
The South used to broadcast news, K-pop and messages about human rights from loudspeakers near the military demarcation line. The campaign had been halted after the Inter-Korean summit in 2018.
North Korea is expected to strongly oppose the resumption.
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says it counted about 330 balloons from across the border since Saturday night. Some were found over the capital Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. About 80 balloons have reportedly landed inside South Korea. Military officials say the balloons were carrying paper and other trash, but so far no hazardous materials have been found.
This is the third time since May that North Korea has sent such balloons over the border.
The latest incident came after a group of North Korea defectors in the South sent its own balloons on Thursday. They were carrying leaflets criticizing North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as well as memory sticks filled with South Korean dramas and other data.