Seoul reviews legal options to curb anti-North Korea leaflet campaigns

In other news.

The Unification Ministry is looking to discourage the floating of leaflets into North Korea in line with the safety concerns raised by the president.

Our correspondent Kim Jung-sil explains.

Seoul's Ministry of Unification says it is now coordinating with other government agencies to curb cross-border leaflet launches.

The move follows President Lee Jae-myung's directive over the weekend to prepare a coordinated response, citing safety concerns for residents near the border.

At today's meeting we plan to discuss a comprehensive government response to the leaflet launches including both preventative measures and post incident penalties as directed by the President."

Since South Korea's Constitutional Court struck down the leaflet ban in 2023, citing freedom of speech, leaflet launches have continued in a legal gray zone.

Launches have come from a number of activist groups, including defector-led organizations and, more recently, families of South Korean abductees.

The government, seeking to curb the launches, says existing aviation and safety laws can already be used to regulate the activity and that new enforcement guidelines may follow.

Asked if that would violate the 2023 court ruling, the Unification Ministry said it would not.

"We believe that requesting a stop to the leaflet campaigns, considering the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the safety of the public, does not violate the Constitutional Court's decision."

The announcement came the same day families of abductees made a renewed public plea.

"We're not asking for their return. We just want to know if they're alive. If the President would meet with and offer comfort to the two mothers featured on these leaflets, I will stop sending them."

The Unification Ministry says abductee issues were previously raised with the North during more than ten rounds of Red Cross talks.

With inter-Korean dialogue stalled, the Ministry says it's keeping close contact with families and remains committed to listening.

Kim Jung-sil, Arirang News.