Seoul:<Text>

North Korea appears to have installed additional loudspeakers against South Korea along the inter-Korean border, military officials said Friday. The installations reportedly took place in border regions, with military officials noting that they are closely monitoring the situation.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean military had earlier dismantled all its fixed loudspeakers along the border, which had been used to broadcast anti-Pyongyang propaganda. This move was part of efforts to improve inter-Korean relations under the Lee Jae Myung administration. Following this, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that North Korea had begun dismantling some of its propaganda loudspeakers as well. However, it was reported that the North removed only two loudspeakers before reinstalling one of them.

In a statement last week, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, stated that North Korea had not removed any loudspeakers targeting Seoul and did not plan to do so. This development occurred amid the North's ongoing criticism of the annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise between Seoul and Washington, which began last Monday and is set to run for 11 days.