Government Begins Revocation of Legal Status for North Korea Leaflet Organizations (Comprehensive)

Hearing for North Korean Defector Groups Held on the Morning of the 29th
Ministry of Unification Vows "Strict Measures" and Strong Response

The view of the area around Kaepung County, Hwanghae Province, North Korea, as seen from Odusan Unification Observatory in Paju, Gyeonggi-do on the 28th.

The government, which has announced a strict response to the leaflet (ppira) issue related to North Korea, is set to begin formal procedures to revoke the corporate status of defector organizations that have been distributing leaflets and goods.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Unification held a hearing in the morning for the defector organizations 'Keunsam' and 'Free North Korea Movement Alliance' and announced that it would initiate the process to revoke their nonprofit corporation establishment permits.

Keunsam has sent rice, portable storage devices (USBs), Bibles, and other items in PET bottles floating in the sea to North Korea a total of eight times this year, including on the 23rd of last month. In a prior notice of disposition sent to Keunsam on the 15th, the Ministry of Unification explained the reason for revoking the nonprofit corporation establishment permit, stating that "activities beyond the original purpose of the corporation's establishment were conducted." The Ministry plans to hold a hearing with Keunsam's representative Park Jeong-o on the morning of the same day. Representative Park is expected to attend the hearing and actively argue that their activities do not constitute "business beyond the purpose of the corporation's establishment."

If the government revokes Keunsam's nonprofit corporation establishment permit, the organization is reportedly preparing legal responses such as filing for a suspension of effectiveness injunction and administrative lawsuits requesting cancellation of the disposition. The Free North Korea Movement Alliance, led by Park Sang-hak, who is the elder brother of Park Jeong-o, claims that they have not received the prior notice of disposition and are expected not to attend the hearing. However, since the Ministry of Unification maintains that the notice was properly delivered by direct handover, the hearing is expected to proceed as scheduled even if Park Sang-hak does not appear.

If these organizations have their nonprofit corporation establishment permits revoked, it is expected to impact their fundraising activities. Should the Ministry of Unification revoke the permits, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the National Tax Service will cancel their designation as authorized donation organizations. Consequently, membership fees and other sponsorships will no longer be tax-deductible expenses, and individuals and corporations donating to these organizations will lose various tax benefits such as income tax and corporate tax reductions.

The Ministry of Unification emphasized that the hearing does not necessarily mean that the corporate status will be revoked. At a regular briefing that day, spokesperson Yeosang-gi of the Ministry of Unification explained, "This hearing is an administrative procedure under the Administrative Procedures Act to fully hear the opinions of stakeholders before the scheduled administrative disposition," adding, "After the hearing is conducted and stakeholders review the results, the administrative disposition will proceed."

According to the Administrative Procedures Act, to revoke an organization's establishment, the authorities must notify the organization of the hearing date at least ten days in advance, and the permit can be revoked based on the results of the hearing.

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