The North Korean leader's powerful sister said on Thursday that the country has never taken down propaganda loudspeakers and will not do so, calling South Korea's belief that Pyongyang was responding to its peace overtures a "pipedream.

North Korea has begun dismantling loudspeakers along the border with South Korea that had been used for propaganda broadcasts, according to the General Staff in Seoul on Saturday, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.

North Korea’s recent move to dismantle some of its loudspeakers along the border can be interpreted as a sign of Pyongyang seeking alleviation of military tension between the two Koreas, but several risks exist,