South Korea activists launch 1 million balloons carrying anti-North leaflets on border
Bags slung under tall gas-filled balloons launched near the border contain one US dollar notes, radios, DVDs and leaflets condemning North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un
South Korean activists said they launched more than one million anti-North Korea leaflets across the border on Friday, a move likely to infuriate Pyongyang, which has demanded Seoul ban such exercises.
The leaflets were in bundles attached to 24 gas-filled balloons that a North Korean defector group floated over the heavily-militarised frontier shortly after midnight, around 60 kilometres north of Seoul.
As well as messages condemning the North’s ruling Kim dynasty, the packages contained one dollar US notes, small radios and DVDs, group leader Lee Min-bok told reporters.
North Korea says the South’s refusal to ban the balloon launches has jeopardised an agreement to resume high-level talks.
Two weeks ago, North Korean border guards attempted to shoot down some balloons launched by Lee’s group, triggering a brief exchange of heavy machine gun fire across the border.
“We staged a quiet operation today because excessive publicity is not good for our humanitarian mission to help our North Korean brothers,” Lee said.
