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Unification ministry to discuss measures to prevent anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaigns
The unification ministry said Monday it is set to hold a meeting with related government agencies to discuss measures to prevent activists' sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.
The meeting comes after President Lee Jae-myung on Saturday ordered measures to prevent the "illegal" launches of leaflets critical of North Korea and punish violators of related laws as he seeks to mend frayed ties with North Korea.
The meeting will be presided over by the chief in charge of human rights affairs at the unification ministry, attended by officials from related government agencies, including the Prime Minister's Office, the intelligence agency and the interior ministry.
Earlier this month, the unification ministry voiced "regret" over the latest leaflet launch by a group of families of those abducted by North Korea and "strongly" called on them to suspend the campaign.
It marked the first time the ministry has called for a halt to leaflet campaigns since the Constitutional Court ruled in September 2023 that a clause in the law banning such launches is unconstitutional, citing freedom of expression.
Participants in the Monday meeting are expected to review measures to curb leaflet campaigns and punish suspected violators under related laws and may discuss ways to counter criticism that the government seeks to excessively restrict freedom of expression.
Last year, the land ministry judged the launch of leaflet-carrying balloons that weigh more than 2 kilograms could be in violation of the Aviation Safety Act that regulates drone flights.
The Act on Disaster and Safety Management prohibits unauthorized access to areas designated as risk-prone. Last year, the local government of Gyeonggi Province designated the cities of Paju and Gimpo and Yeoncheon County -- areas near the border with the North -- as such zones and stepped up police patrols.
North Korea has bristled at North Korean defectors in the South and conservative activists' leaflet campaigns on concerns that an influx of outside information could threaten the Kim Jong-un regime.
President Lee has promised to halt anti-North leaflet launches and the military's propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts along the border as part of his election pledges to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula and improve ties with Pyongyang.
South Korea's military suspended its yearlong loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea on Wednesday and North Korea paused its broadcasts of loud noises targeting South Korea the next day. (Yonhap)
