A symposium was held on July 17th, organized by civil society groups and opposition party lawmakers, calling for regulations on the distribution of leaflets to North Korea, including the introduction of a prior notification system.

Participants, including representatives from Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, the Joint Meeting of Border Residents, Religious Groups, and Civil Society for Peace and Solidarity, as well as lawmakers Yoon Hoo-duk, Lee Jae-jung, Lee Yong-sun, Lee Jae-kang, and Kim Jun-hyung of the Democratic Party and Justice Innovation Party, gathered at the National Assembly building for a forum titled 'Problems and Solutions of the Yoon Suk-yeol Administration's Response to North Korean Leaflets.'

They agreed that the distribution of leaflets by civilians provided an unnecessary pretext for North Korea's provocations such as the scattering of propaganda leaflets filled with excrement.

Lee Tae-ho, director of the Peace and Disarmament Center at Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, argued that "dangerous propaganda activities that provoke the other side in border areas should be restricted, even if they are carried out by civil groups." He added that "leafleting can threaten the right of border residents to live in peace and safety."

Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, claimed that "in modern history, the use of leaflets and balloons between countries is used during 'wartime.'" He argued that "it is difficult to view leaflets as a means of individual expression in the context of an armistice and a hostile relationship between the two Koreas."

Hong also pointed out the confusion among government agencies regarding the response to the fecal matter balloon incident. While National Security Adviser Chang Ho-jin described the scattering of fecal matter balloons and GPS jamming as "real and existing threats" on August 2, Police Commissioner Yoon Hee-keun said in a press briefing on August 10 that "it's difficult to link this to a serious threat to the lives and bodies of citizens."

The participants urged the National Assembly to enact legislation to restrict and regulate leaflet distribution, such as introducing a prior notification system.

Ahn Jae-young, the village chief of Heyri Village in Paju, a border region, also attended the forum and called for the National Assembly to "quickly supplement the constitutional court's ruling on the unconstitutionality of the law banning the distribution of leaflets to North Korea and fundamentally prevent leaflet distribution.

binzz@yna.co.kr