N. Korea appears to test propaganda loudspeakers along border

North Korea appeared to test propaganda loudspeakers along the inter-Korean border Thursday, with broadcasts heard in Paju beginning at 6 a.m. Residents reported faint music and sounds resembling ghostly wails and animal cries. The broadcasts reportedly continued for about four to five hours, a week after Kim Yo-jong warned that loudspeakers targeting South Korea would be ready along the border within the month.

Kim Yo-jong issued her warning on Oct. 22, a day after inspecting North Korea’s border fortification work.

Kim threatened military action against South Korean troops over their firing of warning shots at North Korean soldiers crossing the border.

A Daeseongdong resident said music was followed by faint sounds resembling ghostly wails at about 6:30 a.m.

A resident of Tongilchon village said the broadcasts were audible while he was harvesting rice Thursday morning.

Published Oct 29, 2026 4:31 pm KST

A North Korean propaganda loudspeaker is seen from Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

North Korea appears to have conducted a test broadcast of its propaganda loudspeakers in areas along the inter-Korean border Thursday, a week after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister issued a warning.

Residents in the South Korean border city of Paju said that loudspeaker broadcasts from North Korea began at 6 a.m., adding the volume was relatively low, but the sounds were audible from the early morning.

"At 6:30 a.m., I heard music for a brief moment, followed by faint sounds resembling ghostly wails," said a resident of Daeseongdong, the only civilian village inside the Demilitarized Zone.

On Oct. 22, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, warned that propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts targeting South Korea would be ready along the inter-Korean border within this month. Her warning came a day after she inspected the North's border fortification work and threatened to take military action against South Korean troops over their firing of warning shots at North Korean soldiers crossing the border.

A resident of Tongilchon village in Paju said he heard broadcasts from the North, including sounds resembling ghostly wails and animal cries while harvesting rice Thursday morning.

"The volume was not very high, but it was the same unsettling, unpleasant noise the North used to broadcast years ago. In the past, they would start quietly before suddenly turning up the volume, causing great distress to the residents," said the resident surnamed Park.

The North's broadcasts reportedly continued for about four to five hours.

朝鲜周四似乎在朝韩边境测试了宣传喇叭，坡州市居民从早上6点开始听到广播。据居民报告，广播中夹杂着微弱的音乐声以及类似鬼魂哀嚎和动物叫声的声音。据报道，广播持续了约四到五个小时。一周前，金与正曾警告称，针对韩国的喇叭将在本月内在边境地区准备就绪。

金与正于10月22日发出警告，此前一天她视察了朝鲜的边境防御工事。

金正恩威胁要对韩国军队采取军事行动，因为韩国军队向越境的朝鲜士兵鸣枪示警。

大城洞一位居民称，早上6点30分左右，音乐声之后传来微弱的、类似鬼魂哀嚎的声音。

Tongilchon村的一位居民说，周四早上他在收割水稻时听到了广播声。

发布于2026年10月29日下午4:31（韩国标准时间）

周二，在京畿道金浦市，可以看到朝鲜的宣传喇叭。韩国时报摄影师沈贤哲摄。

朝鲜似乎在周四于朝韩边境地区进行了宣传喇叭的试播，此前一周，朝鲜领导人金正恩的妹妹发出了警告。

韩国边境城市坡州的居民表示，朝鲜的扩音器广播从早上 6 点开始，音量相对较低，但从清晨就能听到声音。

“早上 6 点 30 分，我听到一阵短暂的音乐，随后传来类似鬼魂哀嚎的微弱声音，”大城洞的一位居民说道，大城洞是位于非军事区内唯一的平民村庄。

10月22日，朝鲜领导人金正恩的胞妹金与正警告称，本月内将在朝韩边境沿线架设针对韩国的宣传喇叭。此前一天，她视察了朝鲜的边境防御工事，并威胁称，如果韩国军队向越境的朝鲜士兵鸣枪示警，朝鲜将采取军事行动。

坡州市通日村的一位居民说，周四早上收割水稻时，他听到了来自北方的广播，其中包括类似鬼魂哀嚎和动物叫声的声音。

“音量虽然不大，但跟北方多年前播放的那种令人不安、难听的噪音一模一样。以前，他们一开始会轻轻地播放，然后突然把音量调大，给居民们造成了很大的困扰，”一位姓朴的居民说道。

据报道，北方的广播持续了大约四到五个小时。