South Korean Defense Ministry confirms leaflet drops into North ahead of Yoon's martial law bid
Published: 17 Dec. 2025, 13:14
Updated: 17 Dec. 2025, 20:48
![Leaflets aimed at North Korea flutter from a large balloon during a ceremony hosted by an assocation of families of abductees held in North Korea at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 23. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/17/0346d9ca-2d68-4a9c-8490-ea0d8bcbfa67.jpg)
Leaflets aimed at North Korea flutter from a large balloon during a ceremony hosted by an assocation of families of abductees held in North Korea at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 23. [NEWS1]
The Defense Ministry confirmed that the military carried out leaflet drops into North Korea under orders of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration ahead of the former president's martial law bid, an internal investigation showed for the first time on Wednesday.
The finding links the Yoon administration’s resumption of leaflet operations to prosecutors’ claims that the former president used the campaign to help justify his controversial imposition of martial law by provoking a response from Pyongyang through unusual military actions.
The findings emerged after the ministry questioned officers involved in the chain of command at the Defense Psychological Operations Group and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), according to Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.
Investigators found that the Yoon administration decided to restart the operations at the 34th National Security Council standing committee meeting on Oct. 12, 2023. The agenda focused on an assessment of a historic inter-Korean military agreement — concluded between then-President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Sept. 19, 2018, — and possible response measures.
Then Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho and National Intelligence Service Director Kim Kyou-hyun took part in the deliberations.
The outcome of the meeting was classified as a presidential record, leaving the Defense Ministry unable to confirm specific details such as the reasons for resuming the leaflet campaign.
![Members of a civic group representing families of abductees in North Korea prepares to launch eight leaflet balloons toward the North on April 27 in Paju, Gyeonggi. [ASSOCIATION OF THE FAMILIES OF THOSE ABDUCTED BY NORTH KOREA]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/17/d0d56901-3275-4f5e-a735-4837b60b1ae2.jpg)
Members of a civic group representing families of abductees in North Korea prepares to launch eight leaflet balloons toward the North on April 27 in Paju, Gyeonggi. [ASSOCIATION OF THE FAMILIES OF THOSE ABDUCTED BY NORTH KOREA]
The decision to resume the leaflet operations came shortly after the Constitutional Court ruled the ban on anti–North Korea leaflets unconstitutional under the Development of Inter-Korean Relations Act.
Shin later issued a verbal order on Nov. 8, 2023, directing the military to resume leaflet drops. The instruction passed through the JCS to the Defense Psychological Operations Group.
The Defense Psychological Operations Group carried out at least 23 leaflet drops in 17 operations from Feb. 18 through Nov. 15, 2024, the investigation found. Targets included 35 locations across North Korea, including Pyongyang, Wonsan and key military and urban areas.
Command and control ran from field commanders through the JCS operations planning director, the operations chief and the JCS chair. All reporting and approvals took place via secure phones.
Units involved deleted records related to the operations during routine monthly cyber and security inspections. At the JCS, superiors instructed staff not to leave any documents tied to the leaflet campaign, investigators said.
The investigation concluded that allegations claiming the Defense Psychological Operations Group acted independently without higher-level approval were unfounded.
The probe also confirmed that the former defense ministers under Yoon provided cash incentives to encourage the operations. Shin gave 2 million won ($1,350) in payments to the Defense Psychological Operations Group on July 26, 2024, during a face-to-face briefing on loudspeaker broadcasts. His successor, Kim Yong-hyun, provided 3 million won on Oct. 23 that year during a briefing on three psychological warfare operations, including leaflet drops.
![Residents of Tongilchon, a village inside a restricted area near the inter-Korean border, stage a protest at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 23, denouncing an attempt by a group of families of abductees to send anti-North Korea leaflets across the border. [YONHAP]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/12/17/1974cd08-0964-44c1-b40a-83737364af6e.jpg)
Residents of Tongilchon, a village inside a restricted area near the inter-Korean border, stage a protest at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi, on April 23, denouncing an attempt by a group of families of abductees to send anti-North Korea leaflets across the border. [YONHAP]
North Korea accused the South of initiating the leaflet campaign and began launching large numbers of trash balloons toward the South from May 2024. The Yoon administration cited those actions when it suspended the entire Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement on June 9 and later resumed loudspeaker broadcasts and live-fire drills near the border.
A special prosecutor investigating alleged insurrection by Yoon charged the former president and Kim Yong-hyun last month with general aiding-the-enemy offenses.
Prosecutors argue that Yoon pursued abnormal military operations to provoke a North Korean response and create justification for declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024. The leaflet campaign resumed in October 2023, the same period the special prosecutor has identified as when preparations for martial law intensified.
Around that time, the military appointed a series of commanders who later played key roles during the short-lived imposition of martial law, including then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, as well as the heads of the Special Warfare Command, the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and the Capital Defense Command.
The Defense Ministry’s special investigation unit plans to conduct further inquiries into the background of the decision to resume leaflet drops, potential links to Yoon's martial law declaration and whether the operations violated the law.
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 JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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