South Korea activists banned from flying anti-Pyongyang leaflets
Source: Agencies |
October 23, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
SOUTH Korea yesterday banned activists from entering a border area where they planned to launch anti-Pyongyang leaflets into North Korea, an unusual move that the activists likened to "surrender."
North Korea's military warned last week that it would strike if South Korean activists carried through with their plan to fly balloons carrying the propaganda leaflets across the border. South Korea pledged to retaliate if it was attacked.
South Korean police sent hundreds of officers to seal off roads and prevent activists and other people from gathering at the launch site due to security concerns. Residents in the area were also asked to evacuate to underground facilities, according to local official Kim Jin-a.
Before yesterday's action, the government implored activists to stop their campaign, but cited freedom of speech in not making further attempts to intervene.
South Korean activists have in the past sent leaflets across the border, and North Korea has issued similar threats without following through.
But Yonhap news agency reported yesterday that the ban on entering the border area was imposed as South Korea detected that North Korea had uncovered artillery muzzle covers and deployed troops to artillery positions in possible preparation for an attack.
South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters yesterday that North Korea was believed to have acted in line with carrying out its warning. He declined to elaborate on North Korea's army movement as that was confidential military information.
South Korea had bolstered its military readiness following North Korea's threat and would "strongly" retaliate if attacked, he said.
Dozens of activists planned to float balloons carrying about 200,000 leaflets critical of North Korea's young leader Kim Jong Un and his country's nuclear weapons program.
Lead activist Park Sang-hak said the entry ban was tantamount to yielding to Pyongyang's threat and his group would try to find another place to float leaflets.
"It's surrender. It's clearly surrender," he said.
The Korean Peninsula officially remains at war because an armed conflict in the 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
China welcomed South Korean efforts to quash the balloon-flying and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
North Korea's military warned last week that it would strike if South Korean activists carried through with their plan to fly balloons carrying the propaganda leaflets across the border. South Korea pledged to retaliate if it was attacked.
South Korean police sent hundreds of officers to seal off roads and prevent activists and other people from gathering at the launch site due to security concerns. Residents in the area were also asked to evacuate to underground facilities, according to local official Kim Jin-a.
Before yesterday's action, the government implored activists to stop their campaign, but cited freedom of speech in not making further attempts to intervene.
South Korean activists have in the past sent leaflets across the border, and North Korea has issued similar threats without following through.
But Yonhap news agency reported yesterday that the ban on entering the border area was imposed as South Korea detected that North Korea had uncovered artillery muzzle covers and deployed troops to artillery positions in possible preparation for an attack.
South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told reporters yesterday that North Korea was believed to have acted in line with carrying out its warning. He declined to elaborate on North Korea's army movement as that was confidential military information.
South Korea had bolstered its military readiness following North Korea's threat and would "strongly" retaliate if attacked, he said.
Dozens of activists planned to float balloons carrying about 200,000 leaflets critical of North Korea's young leader Kim Jong Un and his country's nuclear weapons program.
Lead activist Park Sang-hak said the entry ban was tantamount to yielding to Pyongyang's threat and his group would try to find another place to float leaflets.
"It's surrender. It's clearly surrender," he said.
The Korean Peninsula officially remains at war because an armed conflict in the 1950s ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
China welcomed South Korean efforts to quash the balloon-flying and urged all parties to exercise restraint.
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