South Korea suspends propaganda radio broadcasts to North

Monday 01 September 2025 - 11:00

By: Sahili Aya

South Korea suspends propaganda radio broadcasts to North

Seoul announced on Monday the suspension of its propaganda radio broadcasts aimed at North Korea, a move intended to ease military tensions and promote dialogue with its nuclear-armed neighbor. The broadcasts, under the station Voice of Freedom, have been transmitted since 1962 and are produced by the South Korean Ministry of Defense.

The station offered news and K-pop music to North Korean listeners, a country that tightly controls its population’s access to foreign content. This is the latest effort by President Lee Jae Myung, who took office in June, to pursue diplomatic engagement with Pyongyang, following earlier steps such as halting loudspeaker broadcasts along the inter-Korean border.

Voice of Freedom had previously ceased operations in 2004 during a period of rapprochement, before resuming in 2010 after North Korea’s torpedo attack on the South Korean warship Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors.

Despite these gestures, North Korea has rejected Seoul’s overtures, criticizing President Lee as a “hypocrite” and reaffirming its commitment to retaining nuclear weapons.