Seoul dismantles loudspeakers, U.S. delays drills; signs of a coordinated thaw?

Welcome to Within The Frame, where we bring the most pressing issues across the globe into focus. I'm Kim Mok-yeon.

South Korea has begun dismantling its border loudspeakers aimed at North Korea—just 54 days after halting the propaganda broadcasts that once echoed across the DMZ.

These devices, used for psychological operations and sharp criticism of the North Korean regime, are being removed without prior consultation.

It’s a clear, symbolic gesture from Seoul—part of a broader pattern of de-escalation efforts, even as Pyongyang remains unresponsive.

Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul are reportedly delaying segments of their joint military drills, officially due to the heat.

But the timing raises questions: are these moves part of a quietly coordinated effort to reopen diplomatic space with the North—or one-sided concessions with no return signal?

For a closer look into the situation, we connect to Park Won-gon, Professor of North Korea studies at Ewha Womans University. Welcome.

1. South Korea began dismantling its border loudspeakers yesterday, The Defense Ministry framed it as a practical move to de-escalate tensions.

Could this kind of preemptive action help open the door to restoring mutual trust between the two Koreas?

2. Staying with efforts to reduce friction, parts of the upcoming U.S.-ROK joint military exercises, set for mid-August, may be postponed to next month due to extreme heat. Mr. Jannuzi, would you interpret this delay as another conciliatory signal directed at North Korea?

3. And despite repeated gestures from Seoul, Pyongyang continues to respond with cynicism and indifference.

Prof. Park, for this current strategy to work, what more needs to be done? Or does real progress depend on a policy shift within the North itself?

4. In the meantime, both sides are quietly coordinating an August summit following the recent trade deal. Notably, defense cost-sharing was left out of that agreement. Do you expect it to take center stage when the two presidents meet?

5. President Trump has in the past labeled South Korea a “money machine,” calling for 10 billion dollars in defense contributions. If that demand re-emerges during the summit, what should South Korea’s response be?

6. On the alliance front — recent talks between top diplomats and defense officials reaffirmed a shared commitment to modernize the S. Korea-U.S. alliance.

With strategic focus now expanding beyond North Korea to include China, are we seeing a fundamental shift in the nature of the alliance?

7. On the North Korea front, Pyongyang has floated the idea of dialogue with Washington — but only if its status as a nuclear weapons state is acknowledged.

Do you expect the upcoming summit to address prospects for U.S.-North Korea talks or denuclearization?

8. Meanwhile, there's movement on another key axis — signs of warming ties between China and North Korea, following a period of friction due to Pyongyang’s growing closeness with Moscow.

Could Beijing now be re-engaging to regain influence over the North, perhaps in anticipation of renewed U.S.-North Korea diplomacy?

9. Lastly, as for the deepening Russia-North Korea partnership — Ukrainian intelligence claims up to 30,000 North Korean troops are now inside Russian territory.

From your view, how realistic is the possibility of further deployments?

Thank you for your time and for your insights tonight Prof Park we appreciate it.