Home > National > North Korea

DP's tactics take air out of PPP's balloon leaflet distribution to North

Published: 24 Sep. 2025, 18:26 Updated: 25 Sep. 2025, 16:52

Members of the Family Assembly Abducted to North Korea prepares to launch eight leaflet balloons toward the North on April 27 in Paju, Gyeonggi. [FAMILY ASSEMBLY ABDUCTED TO NORTH KOREA]

A legislative committee on Wednesday approved a bill that would effectively ban leaflet balloon launches near the inter-Korean border — a method used by activists to send information and messages into North Korea — drawing protests from the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

The proposed amendment to the Aviation Safety Act passed the Subcommittee on Transportation Legislation Review of the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, led by the Democratic Party (DP). Lawmakers from the PPP walked out in protest, accusing the DP of pushing the bill through unilaterally.

The amendment bans flying unmanned free balloons in designated no-fly zones, regardless of the weight of attached objects, if they could pose a risk to air traffic safety. Violators could face fines of up to 10 million won ($7,130).

The amendment allows exceptions for weather observation or research purposes if approved by the relevant authorities.

Under current law, unmanned balloons weighing less than 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) can be flown without approval. South Korean groups advocating North Korean human rights have used this loophole to send anti-Pyongyang leaflets attached to balloons across the border.

With the bill now set to move to the full Land Committee and then the National Assembly floor, its passage appears likely. If approved, the ban is expected to halt the release of anti-North Korean leaflet balloons.

The issue of leaflet campaigns has long fueled tension between political camps.

Members of the Family Assembly Abducted to North Korea prepares to launch eight leaflet balloons toward the North on April 27 in Paju, Gyeonggi. [FAMILY ASSEMBLY ABDUCTED TO NORTH KOREA]

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, on June 6, 2020 denounced the leaflet campaigns as a “dirty clown show” and demanded legislation to stop them. Hours later, the Moon Jae-in administration’s Unification Ministry announced plans for a ban. That December, the DP-led National Assembly passed a revision to the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act to prohibit leaflet launches.

Critics in the conservative bloc derided the measure as a “Kim Yo-jong law,” accusing the Moon administration of caving to Pyongyang’s demands. In September 2023, the Constitutional Court struck down the law, ruling that it excessively restricted freedom of expression.

Tensions flared again last year when the North launched trash-filled balloons toward the South for four months starting in late May, raising security concerns along the border.

A PPP official criticized the latest bill as “a law that pretends to ensure public safety but in reality aims to shut down anti-North leaflet campaigns and defies the Constitutional Court’s decision.”

PPP lawmakers on the Land Committee held a press conference at the National Assembly on Wednesday, where they said, “This is not a law for the people of North Korea, but one that only serves the North Korean regime. If we continue to yield to Pyongyang’s demands, will we also justify the withdrawal of U.S. troops or the dismantling of our frontline units?”

Correction, Sept. 25, 2025: A correction was made to the amount of the fine.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SON KOOK-HEE [[email protected]]