South Korea's military has stopped using loudspeakers that broadcast anti-North Korean messages along the border. This action is the new liberal government's first clear step to reduce the tension between the two rival countries, which were divided by war.

In June of last year, South Korea started using loudspeaker broadcasts again after a long break. This was done to retaliate against North Korea, which had sent balloons filled with trash over the border as part of a psychological campaign.

On Wednesday, South Korea's Defense Ministry stated that this action was part of their efforts to "re-establish trust in relations between the two Koreas and encourage peace on the Korean Peninsula."

Between May and November last year, North Korea sent thousands of balloons into South Korea. These balloons carried various items like wastepaper, fabric scraps, cigarette butts, and even manure. North Korea stated this was a response to South Korean activists sending balloons with anti-North Korean leaflets and USB drives containing popular South Korean songs and dramas.

North Korea responds very strongly to any criticism from outside regarding its authoritarian government and its leader, Kim Jong Un, who inherited power.

To counter North Korea's balloons, South Korea started using its loudspeakers at the border again to play propaganda messages and K-pop songs towards North Korea.

The psychological warfare campaigns, reminiscent of the Cold War era, intensified the already strained relations. This tension was further aggravated by North Korea's increasing development of nuclear weapons and South Korea's efforts to expand joint military exercises with the United States, as well as to strengthen security cooperation with Japan involving all three nations.

South Korea's new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, started his term last week after winning an election to replace the previous conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee Jae-myung has promised to make relations better with Pyongyang, which reacted very strongly against Yoon's tough policies and would not talk.