PAJU — The city of Paju in Gyeonggi Province has launched preemptive measures to ease anxiety among residents of the inter-Korean border area and prevent noise damage, after indications that North Korea may resume loudspeaker broadcasts aimed at the South. The city said it would focus on protecting residents' living conditions through practical steps such as noise measurement and on-site inspections.
According to Paju city on the 23rd, North Korea's signaled resumption of the broadcasts has sharply heightened anxiety among border-area residents, who previously endured severe distress from strange noises and animal cries. The concern comes about a year and four months after the broadcasts last stopped.
The city plans to carry out immediate noise measurement and step up on-site inspections in key areas within range of the loudspeakers if broadcasts actually resume. Through this, it will analyze the noise impact in detail, review resident damage and complaint trends comprehensively, and pursue a range of solutions together with related agencies.
Paju has made guaranteeing residents' peaceful daily life its top priority and has stated its clear opposition to North Korea's broadcasts. The city also plans to strongly urge the central government and related agencies to draw up fundamental, comprehensive countermeasures.
"The loudspeaker noise broadcasts are a grave matter that threatens not only the lives of border-area residents but also the local economy and the safety of the entire city," Paju Mayor Son Bae-chan said. "We will put resident safety and the protection of their living conditions as our highest value and work with related agencies to devise effective responses."