Head of NK defectors' group referred to prosecution over leaflet campaign
Park Sang-hak, the head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, a North Korean defectors' group, prepares a banner ahead of a press conference at Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 31. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
The head of a North Korean defectors' group was referred to the prosecution Tuesday on charges of sending heavier-than-permitted balloons to the North as part of a leaflet propaganda campaign, police said.
Park Sang-hak, the head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, is accused of sending about 10 large balloons carrying some 300,000 anti-Pyongyang leaflets, U.S. dollar bills and USB sticks containing South Korean dramas and songs from the border city of Paju on June 20.
Police found the balloons weighed over 3 kilograms, making them "unmanned aerial vehicles."
Earlier, the land ministry issued an authoritative interpretation that flying a leaflet-carrying balloon weighing over 2 kg can constitute a violation of the Aviation Safety Act. (Yonhap)