6.15 South Side Committee: "Organizations Distributing Anti-North Leaflets Are Receiving Support from US CIA-Related Groups"

Defector Group Distributing Anti-North Korea Leaflets Reported to Police
"Government Must Use Authority to Ban Leaflet Distribution"

Park Sang-hak, the representative of the Free North Korea Movement Alliance (fifth from the left), is holding up a leaflet and speaking at a press conference announcing the position on leaflets and North Korean human rights, held on the afternoon of the 8th at the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul.

On the 12th, the Seoul headquarters of the June 15 Joint Declaration Implementation South Side Committee (South Side Committee) filed a complaint with the police against defectors' organizations that have been distributing leaflets to North Korea, claiming that these organizations are receiving support from groups related to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

On the same day, the South Side Committee held a press conference in front of the police station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, criticizing the government for its passive response to the issue of leaflet distribution to North Korea and urged, "Completely ban the distribution of leaflets to North Korea and fully implement inter-Korean agreements."

The South Side Committee stated, "There is a strong suspicion that the government is acting cautiously due to U.S. interests regarding the leaflet issue," adding, "It is a well-known fact that the organizations distributing leaflets to North Korea receive support from U.S. groups linked to the CIA."

The committee emphasized, "As inter-Korean relations spiral out of control, the government must take concrete actions to fully implement inter-Korean agreements," and urged, "The government should immediately ban the distribution of leaflets to North Korea by mobilizing public authority, investigate and punish defector organizations found to be acting illegally, stop being influenced by the U.S., and proceed with the full implementation of all inter-Korean agreements."

While filing a complaint against Park Sang-hak, the representative of the defector organization Freedom Korea United, the South Side Committee explained the background by stating, "The distribution of leaflets to North Korea threatens the lives and safety of the Korean people and is a harmful act that provokes confrontation between the South and the North."

They claimed that Park injected hydrogen gas, a flammable gas, into balloons used for leaflet distribution, violating the High-Pressure Gas Safety Control Act and the Outdoor Advertising Act, and that he violated the Aviation Safety Act by flying drones to distribute leaflets. They also added that the leaflet distribution violated export approval regulations stipulated in the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act.

Kwon Soon-young, co-executive director of the South Side Committee’s Seoul headquarters, said, "The distribution of leaflets by some defector organizations has been the fuse that led to the complete cutoff of inter-Korean communication lines," and urged, "In a situation where the closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and the possibility of the military agreement being broken are being discussed, the government and investigative authorities must strictly punish these defector organizations."

Han Chung-mok, the standing representative of the South Side Committee’s Seoul headquarters, explained, "The reason for filing the complaint with the police instead of the prosecution is because the police communicate with local residents and are on the ground, so they understand the situation well," and urged, "Please conduct a swift investigation in accordance with the opinions of local residents and civil society organizations."

The South Side Committee also announced that they would jointly file a complaint against Lee Dong-gu, the representative of the North Korean human rights organization 'NAUH,' and former representative and Future United Party lawmaker Ji Seong-ho for violating the Act on the Collection and Use of Donations. They raised suspicions about NAUH’s poor accounting and explained the background of the complaint by stating, "The details of the use of donations must be thoroughly clarified."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.