Following the South Korean government’s recent decision to suspend inter-Korean loudspeaker broadcasts, some U.S. experts have promptly voiced strong objections through the conservative outlet Chosun Ilbo. Their argument is clear: North Korea has already secured sufficient diplomatic and economic resources through China and Russia, rendering South Korea’s conciliatory gesture meaningless and the suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts a strategic error.
However, their statements are far from the realm of pure analysis. They claim that this decision will give the Kim Jong-un regime a false sense of confidence that its strategy to divide South Korean society is succeeding. Yet, this diagnosis is not only a distortion of facts but also a blatant interference in South Korea’s internal affairs, laden with intentions to provoke conflict and maintain division within South Korean society. A closer look suggests the nuance of statements made for ulterior motives.
If these experts genuinely misunderstood the situation, their remarks could be criticized leniently. However, bearing the title of “expert” implies sufficient knowledge and an awareness of the implications of their words. The reason North Korea sent trash balloons southward was the prior distribution of anti-North Korean leaflets from South Korea. The resumption of loudspeaker broadcasts was an asymmetric retaliation focused solely on North Korea’s balloons, tantamount to treating the president’s authority, granted by the people, as a tool for personal vendettas.
Suspending loudspeaker broadcasts, which could be likened to white terrorism, is a decision that can be evaluated as highly rational. Ignoring this clear context reflects the unsavory intentions of those who believe their strategies are fulfilled only by keeping the Korean Peninsula in a state of sustained tension. Their true aim is not peace but confrontation.
As always, such “experts” hope for sparks to ignite on the Korean Peninsula while sitting safely in their secure zones, blending hypocrisy and threats under the refined guise of “geopolitical judgment.” Their consistency in word and deed is not a product of ignorance but of a deliberate, malicious purpose.
If these experts truly believe in the effectiveness of loudspeaker broadcasts, the United States should act on it themselves. They could install large speakers on an outdated aircraft carrier and prove their judgment in the East Sea. Or they could move U.S. military bases forward and conduct broadcasts directly. Why is it that they so easily demand South Korea turn on loudspeakers while hesitating to repurpose their own aging carriers?
There is no need to grant absolution to such shameless voices or to overlook them lightly. The Korean Peninsula’s peace and strategy must be grounded solely in the judgment and choices of the people living on this land. There is neither reason nor justification for being swayed by insidious foreign advice. Our composure should stem not from subservience to the U.S. but from a sovereign resolve unafraid of standing firm.
The suspension of loudspeaker broadcasts is a sovereign choice of South Korea and a starting point for rejecting foreign interference.