The leader of the North Korean Balloon Campaign, Lee Min Bok, has been secretly sending anti-North Korean leaflets to North Korea for over twenty years. He is drawing attention for criticizing some leaflet distribution organizations for their illegal activities. He argues that these groups are impeding the freedom to distribute leaflets.
Lee claimed in a June 24 post on his social media that some organizations are sending anti-North Korean leaflets without having gas safety certificates, nationally certified vehicles, and fire extinguishers, which he clearly defined as illegal. Lee also pointed out that the provocative actions of those publicly sending anti-North Korean leaflets are threatening the safety and livelihood of border residents, causing the demolition of the North-South Dialogue in Korea, the enactment of the Anti-North Korean Leaflet Prohibition Law, and the origin of North Korea’s trash balloon distribution to the South.
Particularly noteworthy is his claim that these groups are blocking the freedom to distribute anti-North Korean leaflets. He criticized the freedom to send anti-North Korean leaflets, which had just been lifted, as once again in crisis due to the noisy illegal anti-North Korean leaflet organizations. He also emphasized that public leaflet distribution is causing a “fatal obstacle to organizations that quietly (distribute leaflets).”
He emphasized, “I urge the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Unification, and the Gas Safety Corporation to conduct legal crackdowns.” Lee passed on the knowledge of North Korean balloons to current public leaflet distribution organizations, such as the Fighters for a Free North Korea Chairman Park Sang Hak.
However, he has consistently claimed that secret distribution improves sincerity and actual effects and that public distribution organizations are using anti-North Korean leaflets as a means of making money. He insists that a certificate for the gas used to inflate the balloons used for leaflet distribution and a certified vehicle that matches this are essential. If these are not used, it is contrary to the current law.
North and South Korea have recently been in conflict over the leaflet and balloon distribution issue. From May to early this June, North Korea distributed over 1,600 garbage balloons in protest against civilian organizations on South Korea’s side distributing anti-North Korean leaflets, causing a stir.
The South Korean government has defined North Korea’s trash balloon distribution as a provocation and suspended the effectiveness of the 9/19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement, which was an agreement to prevent accidental clashes at the border. The South Korean government has also reinstalled loudspeakers toward North Korea. North Korea is also increasing its activities in the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) area, keeping the pressure high.
Gyeonggi Province dispatched special judicial police officers to the expected anti-North Korean leaflet distribution areas to strengthen patrols and surveillance. However, on June 20, the Fighters for a Free North Korea sent 300,000 leaflets to North Korea. Gyeonggi Province requested the police to investigate them on charges of violating the Aviation Safety Act.
Paju announced that it would consider designating all areas within the city as danger zones and banning the entry of anti-North Korean leaflet distributors.