Gov't asks activist to rethink DVD plan

By Yi Whan-woo

The government has asked a defector-turned-activist to reconsider using the Hollywood film, “The Interview,” as a tool to condemn North Korea in his campaign against Pyongyang, the Ministry of Unification said Friday.

“We expect Mr. Park Sang-hak to be cautious and prudent in his consideration,” ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said during a press briefing. “We’ve explained to him that his campaign could threaten the safety of people’s lives here and deepen the rift in our society.”

Lim added that Park did not respond to the request.

Park founded and runs the Fighters for Free North Korea (FFNK), an anti-Pyongyang activist group in Seoul, after escaping from the repressive regime.

Park and FFNK triggered controversy in South Korea last year for repeatedly floating balloons containing anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and into North Korea. The North responded angrily in October by firing machine guns at the balloons.

That response raised concerns over the safety of residents in inter-Korean border villages such as Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, where the FFNK carried out its airborne propaganda.

Park said last week he would include up to 10,000 DVDs and USB sticks containing “The Interview” in the FFNK’s joint leaflet campaign with the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) slated for Jan. 20. Based in New York, the HRF aims to protect and promote human rights globally.

The Hollywood film infuriated Pyongyang because it dealt with the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Park also said he would send up 100,000 DVDs and USB sticks of the controversial movie from March via another airborne leaflet drop.

The unification ministry, which deals with inter-Korean affairs, has repeatedly said it could not prohibit civic groups from carrying out their anti-Pyongyang activities. It cited the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

On Jan. 8, the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee passed a resolution calling on the government to take the steps necessary to protect its citizens from any harm caused by such leaflet campaigns.