Check out a Korean translation of this article

Eerie ghost-like cries echo throughout the night in Dangsan-ri, a village in South Korea located near the heavily fortified border with North Korea. The unnerving sounds leave children restless, and parents futilely attempt to block out the noise with earplugs.

Over the past five months, North Korea has been bombarding the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two nations with a cacophony of ominous sounds — from howling wolves to clanging gongs. These disconcerting broadcasts are designed to disturb those residing in South Korean communities along the border.

Ahn Mi-hee, a mother of two, revealed to RFA Korean that her children keep waking up due to the persistent noise. Ahn reports that the lack of sleep has compromised her children’s immune systems, leading to health issues like canker sores and tonsillitis. Other villagers also complain about vision problems, which doctors suspect may be stress-induced.

A local mental health and welfare center is providing earplugs and acupressure massage balls to help residents cope. Villagers from another border town are resorting to traveling to dormitories half an hour away to secure a good night’s sleep.

The Loudspeaker Battle

These disconcerting sounds are the latest development in the ongoing loudspeaker battle between North and South Korea. South Korea has typically been the one to restart the broadcasts following periods of agreement to cease. Recently, they’ve been blasting news and catchy K-pop tunes across the border.

The South began using loudspeakers to broadcast into North Korea in 1963, with the North responding in kind shortly after. The broadcasts from both sides continued daily until 2004 when they agreed to cease following negotiations. However, the South restarted broadcasts in 2015 after South Korean soldiers were injured by a North Korean landmine within the DMZ.

In 2018, another agreement to halt the broadcasts was reached following a rare summit between the leaders of the two countries. Yet, in June, after a six-year hiatus, Seoul resumed its broadcasts in response to Pyongyang sending trash-filled balloons to the South the previous month.

While the North’s loudspeakers have traditionally blared propaganda, the harrowing, howling sounds are a new addition. The resulting noise pollution has taken a serious toll on the physical and mental wellbeing of the border residents.

One resident shared her fear of developing dementia from the noise pollution. She admitted to envying her deaf neighbor due to the severity of the noise.

“I Beg of You!”

Ahn, the mother of the two children, believes it would be best for South Korea to take the initiative and cease their broadcasts, urging North Korea to follow suit. In October, Ahn made a desperate plea to lawmakers in Seoul, asking them to shut off the loudspeakers.

Despite numerous pleas from residents, the loudspeaker broadcasts from both nations continue daily. Ahn’s father and the village leader, Ahn Hyo-chul, shared that the Ministry of Defense’s response was that they cannot stop the broadcasts as they cannot be outdone by North Korea.

Seeking Peace and Quiet

Ironically, Ahn and her family had moved to Dangsan-ri in 2021, across from her father’s house, to escape the noise from their previous apartment building. They had assumed that the cessation of loudspeaker broadcasts would continue, but the move brought them closer to the border and amplified the strange noises.

Seeking Refuge in Sleep

The noise has become so unbearable that some residents have resorted to finding alternate sleeping arrangements. Residents of the village of Daeseongdong, located within the DMZ, are permitted by provincial officials to sleep in dormitories around a 30-minute drive away.

The dormitories may be small and basic, but residents find solace in the company of others facing the same predicament. However, they also express their desire for both sides to cease the broadcasts, describing their current situation as akin to being war refugees.

Translated by Claire S. Lee and Leejin J. Chung. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.