북한, 강원도 철원 대남확성기 10여곳 철거... 대남 군사행동계획 보류<br /><br />Our top story this afternoon.<br />Just three days after North Korea started re-installing propaganda loudspeakers along the border,... they appear to be removing them again.<br />For more, let's go to Hong Yoo, our correspondent for North Korean affairs.<br />How many loudspeakers are being removed... and is Seoul seeing this as a sign the North is taking a step back from raising tensions?<br />Mark, according to a South Korean military source, the North Koreans were observed removing around 10 propaganda loudspeakers they had installed at the border near the Peace Observatory in Gangwon-do Province.<br />The removal process started a few hours ago.<br />A source from South Korea's military said the North started reinstalling at least 30 loudspeakers from Sunday.<br />The loudspeakers are used to blast out anti-South Korea propaganda at the border.<br />But the two Koreas removed all of them after they agreed through the Panmunjeom Declaration in 2018 that they would stop all hostile actions,... such as anti-state broadcasts and the dropping of propaganda leaflets.<br />The reinstallation had come as tension on the Korean peninsula escalated due to the anti-Pyeongyang leaflets being sent over the border by North Korean defectors.<br />Seoul's Unification Ministry says it's closely monitoring and analyzing North Korea's recent movements.<br />It also re-emphasized that the South Korean government is strong on its stance that the 2018 inter-Korean agreement must be adhered to.<br />People are wondering about the North's sudden decision to remove the loudspeakers. Do we have any clue regarding the regime's rapid change of heart or its motivation for doing this?<br />Well Mark, the move comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, during a preliminary meeting of the Central Military Commission on Tuesday, made the decision to suspend the "military action plans" the regime had previously said it would take toward South Korea.<br />The North's military had warned last Tuesday what its next steps would be in response to the sending of anti-Pyeongyang leaflets by North Korean defectors.<br />Those steps included positioning troops in the areas around Mount Geumgang and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, making guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone, and sending anti-South Korea leaflets across the border.<br />It remains unclear if they'll decide to send the leaflets.<br />Other things they discussed during Tuesday's meeting were major military policies that the regime is working on, and ways to strengthen the North's military deterrent.<br />The meeting was held via videoconference and it was the first time a preliminary meeting of the Central Military Commission has been held during Kim Jong-un's reign.<br />Back to you, Mark.<br />
