Activists send leaflets to N. Korea urging return of abductees

Members of a group representing families of those abducted by North Korea release giant balloons carrying leaflets from the border town of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Monday, in this photo provided by the group. Yonhap

Families of those abducted by North Korea said Friday they sent leaflets to the North this week, calling for the repatriation of their loved ones, in the third such campaign this year.

The families floated four giant latex balloons carrying leaflets from an unspecified location in the border town of Paju, about 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul, at around 9 p.m. Monday, a group representing the families said.

The leaflets contained information on the seven people abducted by the North and urged the regime to confirm the whereabouts of the victims, including Megumi Yokota from Japan and five Koreans abducted as high school students in the 1970s.

It marked the group's third balloon launch this year, following those conducted in Paju in April and the northern county of Cheorwon in May.

The leaflet campaign has often drawn backlash from border residents and government officials who fear it could provoke retaliation from North Korea, jeopardizing border safety.

Against such a backdrop, the group has held the balloon launches away from the public eye.

Still, the group's leader said he will continue to send the leaflet-carrying balloons until the whereabouts of the abductees are verified.