N. Korea pauses blaring noise southward for 2nd straight day

North Korea has halted its loudspeaker broadcasts of noises toward South Korea for a second straight day Friday, the South’s military said, after Seoul suspended its yearlong anti-Pyongyang broadcasts along the border earlier this week.

Pyongyang has not blasted loud noises toward the South since late Wednesday, after President Lee Jae-myung ordered the suspension of anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts in a move aimed at easing tensions and rebuilding trust. The South’s military halted its loudspeaker broadcasts in the border areas at 2 p.m. Wednesday.

“There are no changes to the situation,” a military official said, when asked about a possible resumption of Pyongyang’s loudspeaker campaign. “Our military is closely monitoring the movements of the North Korean military.”

On Thursday, the South’s military said there were no areas where such broadcasts were heard since they were last conducted in the western border area Wednesday night.

North Korea has bristled at South Korea’s loudspeaker campaign, which had resumed for the first time in June last year following a yearslong hiatus, in response to the North’s repeated launch of trash-carrying balloons across the border.