Activist Says He Flew 500K Leaflets Across Koreas' Border

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - A South Korean activist said Friday he launched 500,000 propaganda leaflets by balloon into North Korea this week in defiance of a contentious new law that criminalizes such actions.

If confirmed, Park Sang-hak's action would be the first known violation of the law that punishes anti-Pyongyang leafleting with up to three years in prison or a fine of $27,040. The law that took effect in March has invited criticism South Korea is sacrificing freedom of expression to improve ties with rival North Korea, which has repeatedly protested the leafleting. Police stations in frontline Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces said they couldn't immediately confirm if Park sent balloons from their areas, which Park has used in the past and said he used in two launches this week. Cha Duck Chul, a deputy spokesperson at Seoul's Unification Ministry, said the government would handle the case in line with the objective of the law, though police and military authorities were still working to confirm Park's statements. Park said his organization floated 10 giant balloons carrying the leaflets, reading materials critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's government, and 5,000 $1 bills over two launches from frontline areas this week. He would not disclose the exact locations in the two border provinces he used, citing worries police would stop future attempts.