SEOUL, June 11 (UPI) -- South Korea suspended its propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts across the border to North Korea, officials said Tuesday, in a bid to reduce tensions with Pyongyang under the administration of newly elected President Lee Jae-Myung.
Halting the broadcasts is "a measure to fulfill the public pledge to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula," a Joint Chiefs of Staff official said in a text message to reporters.
The move came roughly a year after Seoul resumed the broadcasts in response to a series of provocations by North Korea that included floating thousands of trash-filled balloons across the border.
The broadcasts included news, K-pop music, and information about democracy and life in South Korea. The North responded at times by broadcasting bizarre noises such as metallic screeching and animal sounds, disturbing residents in areas near the DMZ.
Lee ordered the suspensions, his office confirmed later on Tuesday.
