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DP railroads ban on balloons to North in contentious committee meeting

Published: 25 Sep. 2025, 17:19 Updated: 25 Sep. 2025, 18:56

Members of a South Korean civic group representing families of abductees held in North Korea prepare to launch leaflet balloons toward the North in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 27. [THE ASSOCIATION OF THE FAMILIES OF THOSE ABDUCTED BY NORTH KOREA]

South Korean lawmakers clashed on Thursday as the Democratic Party (DP) railroaded a bill out of committee that bans activists from sending balloons over the border with leaflets denouncing North Korea.

The revision to the Aviation Safety Act bans “unmanned free balloons carrying objects, regardless of their weight, in restricted flight zones near the border if they may threaten air traffic safety.” Violators could face up to one year in prison or fines of up to 10 million won ($7,140).

The bill includes exceptions for weather monitoring, border-related ceremonies and research projects to address concerns of excessive regulation.

The National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee approved the measure, which the liberal DP, holding a majority of seats, pushed through over objections from the conservative People Power Party (PPP). The conservative party called the bill "unconstitutional," arguing that the legislation primarily targets anti-North Korea leafleting activities.

“This has nothing to do with aviation safety and everything to do with banning leaflets,” said PPP Rep. Kwon Young-jin, a senior party member. “That is why people call this ‘Kim Yo-jong’s order,’” he said, referring to the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Choi Seong-ryong, the head of a South Korean civic group representing families of abductees held in North Korea, holds an anti-Pyongyang leaflet at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 23. [YONHAP]

North Korean defector groups have for years sent leaflets criticizing Pyongyang via balloons launched from the South. Under current law, any unmanned device weighing more than 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) requires government approval, so activists have relied on lighter balloons. If the new bill becomes law, all balloons, regardless of weight, would be banned in border zones.

Tensions over the issue date back to June 2020. North Korean defector groups in the South floated 500,000 leaflets criticizing Kim Jong-un’s regime across the border. Days later, Kim Yo-jong, then the first vice department director of the ruling Workers' Party, issued a statement urging the South to create a law to stop what she called "crude and dirty play."

The Moon Jae-in administration subsequently pushed through a ban under the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act in December 2020. But in September 2023, the Constitutional Court struck down the law, ruling that it excessively restricted free speech.

Anti-Pyongyang leaflets prepared by a South Korean civic group representing families of abductees held in North Korea are stacked at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 23. [YONHAP]

The debate reignited in Thursday’s committee session. DP Rep. Jeong Jun-ho defended the bill, saying, “We must update the law to reassure border residents living with military tensions.”

Despite the uproar, the DP majority unilaterally passed the measure.

PPP Rep. Kim Hee-jung then stormed out of the chamber after exclaiming, “Why do you always pander to Kim Yo-jong and Kim Jong-un?” Other PPP lawmakers soon followed, shouting, “This law was already ruled unconstitutional” and “Shame on you.”

In the same session, the committee approved plans for the upcoming parliamentary audit, which will run from Oct. 13 to 29. Lawmakers called in the chief executives of major domestic construction firms, particularly those with sites that had more than 10 fatalities over the past five years.

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 YANG SU-MIN [[email protected]]