In Hongcheon, a balloon launched a banner with portraits of North Korean leaders. (AFP)
Seoul:
Balloons with leaflets against Pyongyang were fired towards North Korea, an activist group led by defectors said on Tuesday. This is likely to cause anger north of the border.
In recent weeks, North Korea has issued a number of convictions against Seoul for leaflets designed to offend the dignity of its leadership – a reference to leader Kim Jong Un.
Tensions on the peninsula are increasing, the north is blowing up a liaison office and threatens to strengthen its military presence in and around the demilitarized zone.
According to analysts, Pyongyang is holding provocations to force concessions from Seoul and Washington, stopping the nuclear talks.
Authorities in the south have tried to block leaflets, but activist group Fighters for Free North Korea said they fired 20 balloons near the border town of Paju late Monday night.
In addition to half a million flyers, the group also sent 1,000 USB sticks – which typically show South Korean drama and music – and 2,000 one-dollar bills that encourage people to pick up the material.
"The anti-north leaflets flew north in the south wind," said group leader Park Sang-hak and promised to continue the take-off.
Pyongyang threatens to avenge its own leaflet starts. The official news agency KCNA reported on Monday that 12 million leaflets had been produced and 3,000 balloons had been prepared to send south.
The two Koreas traded propaganda regularly, but agreed to stop at a summit in 2018.
Inter-Korean relations were frozen after the collapse of a summit in Hanoi between Kim and US President Donald Trump earlier in the year, which the nuclear-armed north would be willing to give up in exchange for easing sanctions.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in initially brokered a dialogue between Pyongyang and Washington, but the North now accuses him of not persuading the United States to ease sanctions.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by NDTV staff and published from a syndicated feed.)
