SEOUL—Attempts by the new government of South Korea to improve relations with its neighbor hit a snag Tuesday, after Pyongyang failed to respond to a deadline to claim the body of a North Korean farmworker.

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.

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

In an attempt to ease tensions with the north, South Korea is dismantling propaganda loudspeakers at the border

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.

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.