South Korea question anti-North protestors accused of sending 'propaganda balloons' over border

30 June 2020, 08:47

The North-South Korean border
The North-South Korean border. Picture: PA

By Maddie Goodfellow

South Korean police are questioning two activists accused of raising tensions with North Korea by sending propaganda balloons and plastic bottles filled with rice across the border.

Park Sang-hak, a North Korean refugee, has floated anti-Pyongyang leaflets by balloon across the land border, while his brother Park Jung-oh, has floated bottles filled with rice across the sea boundary.

Police raided the offices of the Park brothers last week and confiscated leaflets, account books, mobile phone data, computer files and other materials related to their activities.

An officer said further investigations are needed before determining whether the brothers should be charged with a crime.

North Korea raised Park Sang-hak's long propaganda campaign and South Korea's failure to prevent it earlier this month before it blew up an empty liaison office on the North's territory and threatened to take other provocative steps.

South Korean officials later called for police to investigate the Parks and other activists for raising tensions and potentially endangering residents living near the border.

Authorities in one province that borders North Korea have also accused several activist groups, including those of the Parks, of fraud, embezzlement and other charges over their donation activities.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (centre)
South Korean President Moon Jae-in (centre). Picture: PA

The moves against the activists have invited criticism that President Moon Jae-in's liberal government is sacrificing democratic principles to try to repair deteriorating ties with North Korea.

After his office was raided on Friday, Park Sang-hak told reporters that he would keep sending leaflets toward North Korea to inform people there about their authoritarian government.

He also accused the South Korean government of "gagging its people and destroying freedom of speech after succumbing" to North Korea.

Tensions eased slightly last week when North Korea announced it would put off planned steps to nullify reconciliation deals it previously reached with South Korea.

Some experts say North Korea has been intentionally raising tensions as part of a strategy to gain outside concessions at at time when it is facing worsening economic troubles caused by US-led sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic.

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX founder Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for crypto fraud

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

France Valentino

Former Gucci designer Alessandro Michele named Valentino creative director

Russia Shooting

Russia arrests another suspect in concert hall attack that killed 143

American Easter egg

White House’s annual Easter egg roll to be attended by 40,000 people

Barbers in Paris

Proposal to ban discrimination over a person’s hair passes first legal hurdle

Mahmoud Abbas

Palestinian Authority names new government following pressure to reform

Arvind Kejriwal

Opposition leader Kejriwal locked up for further four days, court rules

Resident clears rubble from home

Russia wears down Ukrainian defences with missile and drone attacks

Pope Francis

Pope urges priests to avoid ‘clerical hypocrisy’ in Maundy Thursday speech

Wagner mercenaries

Wagner mercenaries helping to kill civilians in Mali, say human rights groups

Rescuers searching through rubble

Paramedics among 16 people killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon

Hairdressers in Paris

French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair

Australian products in Shanghai

China ends tariffs on Australian wine as relations between countries thaw