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Balloon Activism Caught in Crossfire of Korean Politics

  • South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ordered measures in 2025 to stop activists from sending balloons with leaflets into North Korea, deploying police to border areas and using aviation laws to punish offenders.
  • This crackdown followed persistent balloon launches by defectors sending leaflets and aid, amid heightened tensions after North Korea began sending garbage-filled balloons into the South last year.
  • Several activist groups, including Choi Sung-yong's Abductees' Family Union, suspended balloon launches after government calls warned of stricter enforcement under Lee’s pro-engagement administration sworn in June 2025.
  • Police investigated approximately 72 leaflet cases last year, sending 13 to prosecutors, while some local residents near the border supported the crackdown, saying the launches caused distress and risked safety.
  • The new restrictions aim to ease inter-Korean tensions and economic harm caused by hostility, though activists like 67-year-old Lee Min-bok oppose stopping their balloon missions despite government pressure.
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Colorado Springs GazetteColorado Springs Gazette
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NDTVNDTV
Center

By Ju-min Park

·Colorado Springs, United States
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Arab NewsArab News
+2 Reposted by 2 other sources
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South Korea’s balloon crackdown hits anti-North Korea activists

·Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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The family association of the abductees, which had been scattering leaflets to North Korea since October of last year, officially declared on the 8th that it would stop scattering leaflets. The family association of the abductees held a ceremony at the outdoor shelter on the 2nd floor of the Imjingak Korean Peninsula Ecological Peace Tourism Center in Paju City at 11:00 AM that day.

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Arab News broke the news in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday, July 7, 2025.
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