SEOUL, June 11 (BBC): South Korea's military says it has suspended its loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts across the border to North Korea, as part of a bid to "restore trust" between both countries.
The move comes a week after the country elected its new president Lee Jae-myung, who had campaigned on improving inter-Korean ties. Pyongyang considers the loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts an act of war and has threatened to blow them up in the past.
They were paused for six years but resumed in June last year in response to Pyongyang's campaign of sending rubbish-filled balloons across the border to the South.
In recent years, the broadcasts have included news from both Koreas and abroad as well as information on democracy and life in the South. Ties between North and South Korea had deteriorated under previous president Yoon Suk Yeol, who was more hawkish towards Pyongyang.
Yoon was impeached and removed from his post for briefly placing South Korea under martial law in December, citing supposed threats from anti-state forces and North Korea sympathisers.
His successor, Lee, had campaigned on a series of pledges, including one to restart dialogue with Pyongyang and to reduce tensions between both countries.
The move aims to "restore trust in inter-Korean relations and achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula", the military said in a statement.
But organisations advocating to improve the human rights of North Koreans have criticised the suspension.
"The loudspeakers were a vital bridge to the North Korean people, a reminder that they are not forgotten. By turning them off, we've only strengthened Kim Jong Un's efforts to keep his people isolated," said Hana Song, the executive director of the Database Center for North Korean Human Rights, based in Seoul.
LA police enforces curfew, makes mass arrests
Trump vows to 'liberate' city
NEW YORK, June 11 (BBC): Los Angeles (LA) police say they have made "mass arrests" after a fifth day of protests over US President Donald Trump's immigration raids.
Mayor Karen Bass declared an overnight curfew within a relatively small area of the city's downtown district, saying businesses were being vandalised and looted.
Elsewhere, the immigration raids that triggered the protests last Friday have continued, with deployed National Guard troops now protecting border control agents on enforcement operations.
