Two Koreas trade barbs over leaflets

By Kang Hyun-kyung

The two Koreas traded threats of military action, Sunday, over the planned launch of balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets.

Their war of words came ahead of the fifth anniversary of the March 26 torpedo attack by the North on the frigate Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) warned Pyongyang against making provocative activities, even if South Korean activists launch propaganda balloons into the North.

The balloons are filled with leaflets denouncing the North’s leader Kim Jong-un, radios for residents to listen to outside broadcasters and U.S. one-dollar notes for their use.

Pyongyang has been so sensitive that it cited the blocking of the balloon launches as a precondition for any improvement in relations. Leaders of this anti-Pyongyang initiative are mostly defectors from the North.

The JCS said that any provocations will be responded to swiftly and sternly.

“If North Korea commits any provocative acts south of the military demarcation line, our troops will react sternly and decisively,” it said, adding that the launch of the balloons won’t be blocked.

It said that activists were using their right to express themselves freely, which the government has no business to interfere with.

The JCS announcement followed the North threatening armed attacks through its state-controlled media if activists implement a plan to send anti-North Korean leaflets and DVDs of “The Interview” across the border. The comedy depicts an assassination attempt on the young dictator.

The reclusive state claimed that military attacks against the anti-North Korea materials are an act of self-defense and that any counterattack would invite an even-stronger response.

“Whether they drop such anti-North Korea materials by balloons or unmanned aircraft, they won’t be able to avoid our artillery,” the North said.

It called the activists “human garbage,” saying not only those defectors but also those who advocate or support them will be its targets.

The North also blamed Seoul for doing nothing to deter the activists.

Earlier, the non-profit Fighters for a Free North Korea announced that they would release 10,000 DVDs of The Interview using helium balloons on March 26 to mark the fifth anniversary of the sinking of the Cheonan in the West Sea.

In a recent interview with a foreign media outlet, Park Sang-hak, the head of the organization, said nothing could stop him from releasing the materials and he would do so.