North and South Korea escalate tensions with waste and propaganda

The "exchange of courtesies" continues between North Korea and South Korea. Initially, the North Korean services sent a barrage of garbage to South Korea using balloons. In response, South Korea reactivated propaganda loudspeakers that had been silent for years in the demilitarized zone.

This latest move is another escalation in the ongoing crisis between North Korea and South Korea. The thaw between the two countries from a few years ago is no longer in question. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is increasingly discussing the possibility of war between the countries.

National reunification is no longer on the table, and even maintaining neutral diplomatic relations between the countries seems unlikely. Recent events and the renewed tension at the border demonstrate this.

At the end of May and the beginning of June, North Korea launched hundreds of balloons carrying waste into South Korea. According to the regime, this was a retaliatory response to the activities of activists who had been sending propaganda leaflets to North Korea.

In response to provocations by the Pyongyang dictatorship, the government in Seoul decided to reinstall loudspeakers in the demilitarized zone. These devices were initially installed right after the signing of the armistice in the Korean War in 1953.

The South Koreans use the loudspeakers to broadcast information about their country, highlighting life in a democratic society and promoting human rights content.

It should be noted that the loudspeakers will be installed at the border for the first time since 2018. They had been dismantled as part of agreements between the governments in Seoul and Pyongyang to reduce tensions.

Currently, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the dictator, has stated that there can be no talk of peace, and the situation at the border is now "very dangerous."