NK halts jamming in response

[Anchor]

The National Intelligence Service has confirmed that North Korea has mostly stopped broadcasting 'jamming signals' after it completely halted its broadcasts to North Korea this month.

The government has assessed this as an 'unexpected corresponding action' from North Korea.

What does this mean? Reporter Jang Hyuk-jin has the details.

[Report]

The National Intelligence Service has been known to have transmitted radio and TV broadcasts criticizing the North Korean regime for over half a century.

Various channels, including private broadcasts to North Korea, have been operated, and North Korea has sent jamming signals.

[Kim Seung-cheol/Representative of North Korea Reform Broadcasting: "They create strong noise around the radio signals to make it impossible to listen."]

It has been confirmed that North Korea stopped transmitting jamming signals on 10 frequencies from 10 PM on July 22.

This came the day after reports emerged that the National Intelligence Service had begun to sequentially halt broadcasts to North Korea earlier this month.

A senior government official stated, "This is an unexpected corresponding action," explaining that the halt of broadcasts by the National Intelligence Service is a response to North Korea's cessation of broadcasts to the South last January.

He also added, "If North Korea resumes broadcasting, we will respond, but we will not take the first step."

While 2 to 3 jamming signals remain, the government assesses that North Korea is reacting sensitively to a series of conciliatory measures, including the cessation of loudspeaker broadcasts to the North.

[Park Young-ja/Senior Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification: "(North Korea) clearly has a responsive aspect, and there seems to be a meaning in checking how far they can go while engaging in a ping-pong game of exchanges..."]

However, there are also criticisms that the government has given up providing information to North Korean residents to create a dialogue atmosphere.

[Nam Sung-wook/Chair Professor at Sookmyung Women's University: "This is not a matter of progressives or conservatives; it is about informing North Korean residents of a new reality, so (the halt of broadcasts to the North) is a measure that self-disables and undermines the function of the National Intelligence Service."]

Amid concerns from some quarters, measures for easing tensions continue, but a senior government official emphasized that he does not expect North Korea to respond to dialogue immediately and that the government will not rush the process.

KBS News, Jang Hyuk-jin.