Former Unification Minister Kwon Young-se's First Bill "Allowing Distribution of Leaflets and Loudspeaker Broadcasts to North Korea"

Submission of the Amendment to the "Inter-Korean Relations Development Act"
"Regulation by Law Is Not Appropriate"
Hasty Legislation Must Be Corrected

On the 3rd, Kwon Young-se, a member of the People Power Party, proposed a revision bill as the first bill of the 22nd National Assembly that allows the distribution of leaflets to North Korea and loudspeaker broadcasts in border areas.

Kwon, who is also a former Minister of Unification, stated, "The safety of residents in border areas is the top priority, and this is not to encourage such actions, but it is not appropriate to regulate them by law," adding, "Even from the perspective of freedom of expression and ensuring the right to know for North Korean residents, hasty legislation must be corrected."

Kwon Young-se, a member of the People Power Party, is attending a meeting of lawmakers elected for four or more terms held at the National Assembly on April 15. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The current "Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations" prohibits the distribution of leaflets to North Korea, loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea, and posting visual materials near the Military Demarcation Line. Violators face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won. Attempted offenses can also be punished. According to Kwon's office, after Kim Yo-jong, the Deputy Director of the Workers' Party, condemned the leaflet distribution in June 2020, the law was amended and is also known as the so-called "Kim Yo-jong Mandate Law."

The Constitutional Court has ruled some parts of the law unconstitutional. In September last year, the Constitutional Court judged the leaflet distribution ban unconstitutional, stating it violated the principle of proportionality and infringed on freedom of expression. However, the bans on loudspeaker broadcasts and posting visual materials, which were not subject to the court's review at that time, remain valid.

Accordingly, Kwon aims to revise the law to adjust the provisions that lost effect due to the unconstitutional ruling and to delete the bans on loudspeaker broadcasts and posting visual materials. Kwon said, "As provocations such as ballistic missile launches, GPS signal jamming, and the release of balloon-borne waste continue, it is not desirable to keep legally blocking appropriate countermeasures."