Kwak Yeon-soo is a digital editor at The Korea Times creating, editing and curating digital content for the newspaper’s website, mobile app and social media. She previously covered a diverse array of cultural, political and business topics.
Trash balloons, propaganda leaflets escalate tensions on Korean Peninsula
South Korean soldiers collect debris from a trash balloon sent by North Korea in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Joint Chiefs of Staff
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Calls mount urging cessation of defectors' flyer campaigns
Trash balloons and propaganda leaflets are escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula, prompting local governments and civic groups to call for the cessation of hostilities and military activities that provoke war.
On Monday night, North Korea launched around 350 trash-carrying balloons to the South in its fifth such campaign since late May in retaliation against South Korea-based activists’ release of balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border.
This came after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned on Friday of additional measures if Seoul continues the leaflet launches.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, Tuesday, the trash carried by the North Korean balloons was mostly scrap paper and waste and no hazardous substances were found. It also warned that the military is ready to immediately turn on its loudspeakers near the border.
“Our military’s propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea are ready to be implemented immediately. The broadcasts’ resumption depends on strategic and operational circumstances and how North Korea acts,” JCS spokesperson Col. Lee Sung-jun said in a regular press briefing.
This move is perceived as a prudent stance aimed at preventing tensions from escalating further. On June 9, the military announced full suspension of its 2018 inter-Korean military agreement and briefly resumed loudspeaker broadcasts following North Korea’s third campaign to drop trash on South Korea with balloons.
The Yoon Suk Yeol government has been refraining from intervening in the civic group's leaflet activities, citing a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling that affirmed these actions as being protected under freedom of expression. The unification ministry maintained the stance that it will not stop activists from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets to the North, citing the same reason.
However, a recent poll of 1,000 adults conducted by Gallup Korea from June 11 to 13 showed that 60 percent of respondents believe the government should take action to prevent civilian groups from sending leaflets to North Korea.
Members of Korea Peace Action, a broad coalition of 608 civic and religious groups and 80 international organizations calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula, stage a rally in front of Sejong Center in Seoul, Tuesday, calling for measures to reduce tensions between the two Koreas. Yonhap
Concerns are also rising over the safety of residents in border areas where the leaflet-carrying balloons are launched.
Paju Mayor Kim Kyung-il demanded the central government take appropriate measures regarding the activists’ leaflet launches, adding that such activities create anxiety for many residents living near the inter-Korean border.
“Residents who live near the border are anxious about escalating tensions as both Koreas exchange leaflets and trash balloons. I’m not sure whether propaganda leaflets can be recognized as a means of freedom of expression. I heard some North Korean defectors’ groups are engaging in such activities for a living,” Kim said during a radio interview, Monday.
On Friday, Gyeonggi Province requested police to look into Fighters for a Free North Korea, an activist group led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak. It accused the group of violating the Aviation Safety Act, saying that large balloons used to send propaganda leaflets could fall under the category of an ultralight flying device under the Aviation Safety Act and cannot be launched without approval from the transportation minister.
Gyeonggi Gov. Kim Dong-yeon said the central government should not passively tolerate the launch of anti-North leaflets but must implement concrete measures to address the issue.
Meanwhile, Korea Peace Action, a broad coalition of 608 civic and religious groups and 80 international organizations calling for peace on the Korean Peninsula, staged a rally in Gwanghwamun Square on Tuesday.
“Military tensions are escalating as South and North Korea continue to engage in tit-for-tat exchanges, including sending of the leaflets, suspending the 2018 military agreement and resuming loudspeaker broadcasts. Live-fire drills are scheduled to take place on the western border islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong amid heightened tensions with North Korea,” a Korea Peace Action official said.
“It is urgent to gather voices to demonstrate peace and resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula because even a small misunderstanding or misjudgment may lead to conflict or confrontation.”