Pyongyang did not respond to Seoul's plan to repatriate the remains of a North Korean national discovered on the southern side of the inter-Korean border.

The denial of the routine handover comes as South Korea’s new leader tries to improve ties with Pyongyang.

South Korea's proposal to return a North Korean body was ignored by Pyongyang, hindering hopes for renewed inter-Korean dialogue.

Relations between the two Koreas were at an all time low in years under South Korea’s former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached over his martial law declaration last December, as the two sides engaged in tit-for-tat psychological warfare campaigns.

SEOUL and LONDON -- The South Korean military began dismantling loudspeakers that had been placed along its border with North Korea, South Korea's Defense Ministry said.

South Korean authorities began removing on Monday loudspeakers blaring anti-North Korea broadcasts along the country's border, Seoul's defence ministry said, as the new government of President Lee Jae Myung seeks to ease tensions with Pyongyang.