Seoul: The unification ministry announced plans to convene a meeting with related government agencies to discuss strategies to prevent activists from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this meeting follows President Lee Jae-myung's directive on Saturday to implement measures to halt the "illegal" launching of leaflets critical of North Korea and to penalize those who violate related laws, as part of efforts to repair deteriorating relations with North Korea.
The meeting will be led by the chief responsible for human rights affairs at the unification ministry and will include officials from related government agencies, such as the Prime Minister's Office, the intelligence agency, and the interior ministry. Earlier this month, the unification ministry expressed "regret" over a recent leaflet launch by families of those abducted by North Korea and urged them to stop the campaign.
This marks the first instance of the ministry calling for a stop to leaflet campaigns since the Constitutional Court's September 2023 ruling that a clause in the law banning such launches is unconstitutional, citing freedom of expression. Participants in the meeting are expected to assess measures to curb leaflet campaigns and penalize suspected violators under related laws. They may also address criticism that the government is attempting to overly restrict freedom of expression.
Last year, the land ministry determined that launching leaflet-carrying balloons weighing more than 2 kilograms could violate the Aviation Safety Act, which regulates drone flights. The Act on Disaster and Safety Management forbids unauthorized access to designated risk-prone areas. Last year, Gyeonggi Province's local government designated Paju, Gimpo, and Yeoncheon County-areas near the border with the North-as such zones and increased police patrols.
North Korea has reacted negatively to leaflet campaigns by North Korean defectors in the South and conservative activists, due to concerns that external information could threaten the Kim Jong-un regime. President Lee has pledged to stop anti-North leaflet launches and the military's propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and improve relations with Pyongyang.
South Korea's military ceased its yearlong loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea on Wednesday, and North Korea halted its broadcasts targeting South Korea the following day.