[Summary] 'Cigarette Ash on President Moon's Face' North Korea Prepares Leaflets Against South Korea... "Touching the Supreme Dignity"... Defector Groups Also Preparing Leaflet Distribution

Chosun Central News Agency "Preparing Large-Scale Anti-South Leaflet Campaign"
Leaflets Printed with President Moon's Face Revealed... Cigarette Ash Sprinkled on Leaflets
Defector Group "Preparing to Distribute 1 Million Leaflets"
Government "Clear Violation of Inter-Korean Agreement"

North Korea is reportedly undertaking preparatory work for a large-scale leaflet distribution campaign targeting South Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency on the 20th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] As North Korea expressed its determination to proceed with leaflet distribution against South Korea on the 20th, the defector group Freedom North Korea Movement Alliance announced plans to drop 1 million leaflets toward the North on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Korean War (June 25 War), escalating inter-Korean tensions. On the same day, North Korea revealed a photo of cigarette butts discarded on leaflets printed with President Moon Jae-in's face. The South Korean government expressed regret over North Korea's leaflet distribution plan and stated it would take strong measures, including strict crackdowns, against the distribution of leaflets targeting the North.

North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported in an article titled "The Outburst of Intensified Anti-Enemy Will and Full-Scale Preparations for Large-Scale Leaflet Distribution Struggle Against South Korea" on the morning of the same day, stating, "The anger and retaliatory zeal against the trash and traitors who have insulted our most sacred supreme dignity and made the entire Korean people intolerably outraged are intensifying," and added, "Our people's retaliatory holy war has moved on to the leaflet distribution struggle against South Korea, punishing the sinful gang."

It further explained, "Publishing agencies are indiscriminately producing anti-South leaflets to be indiscriminately thrown at South Korean authorities who have mocked the hopes and expectations of the entire nation contained in the inter-Korean agreements over the past two years with filthy rhetoric."

Moreover, it added, "Currently, young students at various universities are fully prepared to carry out large-scale leaflet distribution struggles once approval for opening and advancing into the inter-Korean border areas is granted according to the relevant procedures."

North Korea is reportedly undertaking preparatory work for a large-scale leaflet distribution campaign targeting South Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency on the 20th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

KCNA conveyed this information through its internet homepage and also released several photos showing residents wearing masks while printing and organizing the leaflets.

In particular, a photo was released showing cigarette butts thrown on a pile of leaflets with a superimposed phrase over President Moon Jae-in's face holding a cup and drinking, reading "You have eaten it all... even the inter-Korean agreement."

The photo was also published on page 2 of Rodong Sinmun, the Workers' Party's official newspaper, which is a domestic media outlet viewed by North Korean residents. On the 17th, North Korea had announced a military action plan against South Korea through a statement from the General Staff of the People's Army, forecasting a "large-scale anti-enemy leaflet distribution struggle by the people."

While North Korea declared its determination to proceed with leaflet distribution against the South, defector groups also announced plans to distribute leaflets toward the North.

Park Sang-hak, head of the Freedom North Korea Movement Alliance, said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency on the same day, "We completed preparations in March to distribute 1 million leaflets revealing the truth to North Korean residents on the 70th anniversary of the June 25 War, and we plan to proceed as scheduled," adding, "We are preparing to send them with the wind around the time of June 25."

However, whether the leaflet distribution toward the North will actually take place remains uncertain. The Ministry of Justice announced on the 19th that it instructed the prosecution to strictly respond to unauthorized distribution acts such as leaflet distribution toward the North in cooperation with the police and related agencies.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "If the police's lawful preventive measures against unauthorized distribution of items such as leaflets toward the North, which may pose a threat to the lives and bodies of citizens, are not followed, the prosecution has been instructed to actively respond, including strict investigations under relevant laws such as obstruction of official duties."

Meanwhile, the government urged an immediate halt to the leaflet distribution plan targeting the South. The Ministry of Unification said in a statement titled "Government Position on North Korea's Preparations for Leaflet Distribution Against South Korea" distributed on the same day, "It is very regrettable that North Korea announced plans for large-scale defamatory leaflet distribution against South Korea through its media today, and we demand an immediate stop."

The Ministry of Unification emphasized, "Such actions by North Korea are a clear violation of inter-Korean agreements and are not measures to resolve bad practices between the two Koreas but rather actions that worsen the situation, providing no help to peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula or the development of inter-Korean relations."

It continued, "Our government has declared a strong stance against the distribution of leaflets and items toward the North by some civilian groups and is thoroughly cracking down on all distribution activities in cooperation with the government, police, and local governments in border areas to completely block such acts."

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