Ministry of Unification: "Sending Medicines to North Korea Using Balloons Violates Inter-Korean Relations Act"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 7th, the Ministry of Unification stated that the Free North Korea Movement Alliance, a defector organization, violated the "Inter-Korean Relations Development Act" by sending COVID-19 medicines to North Korea using balloons.

A Ministry of Unification official said to reporters on the 7th, "The Inter-Korean Relations Development Act prohibits the distribution of leaflets and similar activities," adding, "Sending balloons or their contents to North Korea without the Ministry of Unification's approval under the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act constitutes the distribution of leaflets or similar activities prohibited by the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act."

Regarding whether the act is subject to punishment, the official said, "It will require investigation by law enforcement and judgment by the judiciary in the future," but added, "Since law enforcement is already aware of the matter, the Ministry of Unification does not plan to request a separate investigation."

The official also said, "We fully understand the intention of the organization to help North Korean residents in difficulty," emphasizing, "However, since the government is promoting quarantine cooperation between the inter-Korean authorities, we have publicly requested multiple times that they refrain from actions and consider which methods can practically help North Korean residents."

The Free North Korea Movement Alliance, a North Korean defector organization, claims that on the 5th between 10 and 11 p.m., they sent 20,000 masks, 15,000 Tylenol tablets, and 30,000 vitamin C tablets attached to 20 large advertising balloons from Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Meanwhile, when asked whether the so-called "bold plan" to support North Korea by the Yoon Seok-yeol administration might be revised if North Korea conducts its 7th nuclear test, the official avoided a direct answer, saying, "It is difficult to predict whether it will change or not while North Korea has not yet conducted the nuclear test."