'Paper Bombs' That Troubled the Communist Bloc During the Cold War... Balloon Leaflets in the History of International Disputes

Information Infiltrated via Balloons Shakes Communist Regimes
Military Aircraft and Anti-Aircraft Guns Used to Shoot Down Balloons
North Korea Protests Anti-North Leaflets... Government Begins Ban on Leaflets

North Korea strongly condemned the leaflet distribution by defectors' organizations and the South Korean government's response, while protest marches by young students took place across various regions, reported the Korean Central News Agency on the 9th.

North Korea has strongly condemned the leaflet distribution activities by North Korean defector groups within South Korea and even warned of severing inter-Korean relations, drawing attention to the effectiveness and cases of balloon leaflets.

During the Cold War, balloon leaflet distribution mostly took the form of Western free world countries sending leaflets to Eastern communist bloc countries. The information delivered via balloons acted as a threat to communist regimes, and there were incidents where military aircraft shot down balloons.

According to reference materials titled 'Cold War Era Balloon Leaflet International Dispute Cases' distributed by the Ministry of Unification on the 12th, during the intense ideological war between the East and West blocs in the Cold War era, the West actively conducted system propaganda using balloons targeting Eastern communist countries.

Balloon leaflet distribution was carried out as part of psychological warfare aimed at stimulating and unsettling the minds of communist citizens.

The balloons carried leaflets containing information critical of communist regimes and their leaders. The balloons mainly drifted into countries such as Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Poland.

Just as the pen is mightier than the sword, the scraps of paper hanging from balloons made the communist regimes armed with guns and swords tremble.

In response to the threat of these "paper bombs," Czechoslovakia deployed balloon interception agents to West Germany and even used military aircraft and anti-aircraft guns to shoot down balloons.

Then, in January 1956, Czechoslovakia officially raised the issue with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Czechoslovakia claimed that the leaflets delivered by balloons entering its territory ▲threatened flight safety, ▲violated the International Civil Aviation Convention, and ▲infringed upon Czechoslovakia's territorial sovereignty.

At the 10th ICAO Assembly in June 1956, Czechoslovakia demanded a resolution banning balloon distribution, citing that "a Czechoslovak aircraft crashed after colliding with a balloon."

Following Czechoslovakia's complaint, ICAO conducted a fact-finding investigation under Secretary-General Ljungberg.

During the investigation, the Free Europe Committee (FEC) officially announced that it would cease all leaflet activities in the future. The FEC was an organization established in 1949 with support from the U.S. government (CIA) and operated the anti-communist broadcasting service Radio Free Europe.

In June 1960, the ICAO Council adopted a resolution requesting restraint regarding balloon leaflets, bringing the matter to a close. The resolution stated, "Uncontrolled balloon flights pose a critical threat to aviation safety, and member states must take necessary measures regarding this."

Considering this precedent, the government holds the position that banning leaflet distribution to North Korea is justified. The government also emphasizes that both South and North Korea are ICAO member states and parties to the International Civil Aviation Convention.

The Ministry of Unification explained, "In November 2014, North Korea filed a complaint with ICAO, claiming that large balloons used by our civilian groups for leaflet distribution threatened the safety of civil aircraft."

Officials from the South Side Committee for the Implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration held a press conference on the 12th in front of the National Police Agency, reporting a North Korean defector organization for distributing leaflets to North Korea.

Meanwhile, on the 11th, the Ministry of Unification announced that it had requested an investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency into two North Korean defector groups, the Free North Korea Movement Alliance and Kkeun Saem, for violations including the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act due to their leaflet distribution activities.

The Ministry of Unification requested the investigation, suspecting that the two groups' distribution of leaflets and PET bottles violated the Exchange and Cooperation Act, the Aviation Safety Act, the Public Waters Act, and other laws.

Among these, the suspicion of violating the Aviation Safety Act appears to consider cases where defector groups used drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) to distribute leaflets to North Korea. According to the Aviation Safety Act, owning or using ultralight aircraft weighing 12 kg or more excluding fuel requires prior notification to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Even if the drone's weight is below the threshold and not subject to notification, prior approval must be obtained in 'flight-restricted airspace' where the government restricts ultralight aircraft flights, such as military areas near the Demilitarized Zone.

On the 12th, the police began legal review to determine whether these groups violated the Aviation Safety Act, the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act, the Public Waters Act, and other laws.

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