- After listening to the broadcast, the mayor emphasized that living in the affected area itself is an act of patriotism and promised to prepare solutions -

As North Korea continues to broadcast noise via loudspeakers directed at the South, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok visited Songhae-myeon in Ganghwa-gun, a border region, on Sep. 18 to listen to the broadcasts firsthand and inspect the city’s response to the airborne litter dropped by balloons.

▲ On Sep. 18, Mayor Yoo visited the site of North Korea’s noise broadcast site in Dangsan-ri, Songhae-myeon, Ganghwa-gun, to receive a briefing from military officials and assess the situation.

According to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, since late July, North Korea has been transmitting noise in the frontier areas in response to South Korea’s broadcasts via loudspeakers following their earlier deployment of litter-filled balloons.

The main areas in Incheon affected by the noise include Songhae-myeon, Yangsamyeon, and Gyodong-myeon in Ganghwa-gun, impacting roughly 4,600 people, or 52 percent of the region’s population. The noise, broadcast intermittently over 24 hours, consists of strange sounds such as sirens, drums, and gongs. The noise levels range from that of a telephone ring to that of a passing train.

Residents have voiced their concerns, claiming, “The noise is incredibly stressful. We can’t sleep at night, and our children are frightened, making it difficult for us to lead normal lives.”

Incheon has reported the situation to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) and the Ministry of National Defense (MND), requesting measures to minimize the impact on residents and ensure their living conditions are restored to normal.

Mayor Yoo stated, “After hearing the noise firsthand, I can fully understand the extent of the damage residents are suffering. As I have said many times, simply living in this border area is an act of patriotism. We will do everything we can to tackle the situation so that the noise no longer impacts residents.”