Defector Group Claims to Have Distributed 200,000 Leaflets Against North Korea on Ganghwado Island

Gyeoreol Unification Solidarity Distributes Leaflets Criticizing Chairman Kim Jong-un
"An Action for the North Korean People's Right to Know"

The North Korean defector group, Gyeoreol Unification Solidarity, announced that it distributed 200,000 leaflets over Ganghwado Island on the night of the 7th.

Defector Group Flying Leaflets to North Korea, Koryeol Unification Solidarity

In a press release on the 8th, the group stated that around 9 to 10 p.m. the previous day, representative Jang Se-yul and 13 members sent 200,000 leaflets criticizing North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un attached to 10 large balloons flying toward North Korea.

They also added that 100 shortwave radios and 600 USB drives containing President Yoon Suk-yeol’s March 1st Independence Movement Day commemorative speech and messages from U.S. Congress members for North Korean broadcasts were included in the balloons.

Representative Jang predicted, "As long as the south wind blows, the distribution of leaflets by defectors for the North Korean residents’ right to know will continue."

However, the group also mentioned that to alleviate local residents’ anxiety, future balloon launches will be conducted privately during evening hours.

It is known that some of the balloons they released were detected by our authorities as they crossed into North Korean airspace.

An official from the Ministry of Unification said regarding this distribution, "We maintain close cooperation with related agencies and are doing our best to manage the situation," and reiterated the existing stance, "We approach the issue of leaflet distribution considering the Constitutional Court’s decision last September, which guarantees freedom of expression."

Despite North Korea’s warning that it would retaliate with balloons filled with filth if leaflets are sent, defector groups have recently continued leaflet distribution.

On the 6th, the Free North Korea Movement Alliance distributed 200,000 leaflets in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, and the day before, another defector group, Keunsam, released 500 PET bottles containing rice, one-dollar bills, and USB drives with Korean dramas into currents heading toward the North from Ganghwado Island.

North Korea has not shown any particular response as of the afternoon of the 8th, but if the wind direction changes to a north wind, it may take actions against the South.