Plans to remove propaganda facilities along the South-North border are facing difficulties following last Wednesday's controversy surrounding a maritime confrontation between the navies of the two Koreas.

The Defense Ministry said Wednesday that the process of dismantling the facilities has been hampered by the North's failure to respond to the South's calls to negotiate a timetable for the third stage of removals.

The two sides had originally designated Wednesday as the beginning of the third stage of clearing away high-powered loudspeaker batteries and propaganda signboards along the border regions of Kangwon Province and the Gosung area.