[Summary] Passage of the Anti-North Korea Leaflet Act... "Cannot Force North to Give Up Nuclear Weapons" vs "Kim Yo-jong's Puppet Law"

Passage of Anti-North Korea Leaflet Law... Unlimited Debate Ends
Song Young-gil: "If We Send Kim Jong-un Assassination Movie DVD, Won't North Korea Fire Artillery?"
Taeyongho: "Will We Make North Korean People Slaves Forever?"

Song Young-gil, member of the Democratic Party of Korea and Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, is conducting an unlimited debate (filibuster) on the amendment to the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act during the plenary session held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 14th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As the "Law Prohibiting the Distribution of Leaflets to North Korea" (Amendment to the Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations) passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 14th, the ruling and opposition parties continue to clash over the issue. The ruling party argues that it is a necessary measure to protect the lives of residents in border areas, while the opposition criticizes it as the so-called "Kim Yo-jong Command Law" that restricts freedom of expression.

On the evening of the same day, the National Assembly passed the law prohibiting the distribution of leaflets to North Korea with 187 votes in favor out of 187 members present at the plenary session. The Democratic Party, Open Democratic Party, and other minor parties with a pro-ruling coalition stance participated in the vote, while the People Power Party abstained from the vote.

The amendment stipulates that anyone who distributes leaflets, broadcasts loudspeaker messages to North Korea, or violates inter-Korean agreements around the Military Demarcation Line may be punished with imprisonment for up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.

Song Young-gil, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee from the Democratic Party and the bill’s main proposer, took the floor as the second speaker in the filibuster, emphasizing the necessity of passing the law prohibiting leaflet distribution to North Korea.

Song said, "Imagine putting 100,000 comedy movie DVDs about a conspiracy to assassinate the supreme dignity into balloons and scattering them over North Korea," adding, "Wouldn't North Korea fire artillery at us?"

He continued, "What if an international dispute escalates due to the reckless actions of a defector or an event organized by that group for fundraising?" and said, "War often occurs not by intention but by misunderstanding and mistakes."

Regarding the declaration of the end of the war, Song said, "What meaning does the declaration of the end of the war have? It is merely a symbolic declaration with no legal binding force or obligation to comply," adding, "It only has significance as a condition to create an atmosphere for denuclearization, and trying to exchange it for denuclearization shows a lack of understanding of diplomacy."

He criticized the United States, saying, "How can they demand North Korea and Iran not to have nuclear weapons while possessing over 5,000 nuclear weapons themselves and developing nuclear delivery systems every year?" and stated, "I think the so-called Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is an unequal treaty."

Song emphasized, "The law prohibiting leaflet distribution to North Korea includes binding conditions that 'no harm or serious danger should be caused to the life or body of the people,'" and stressed, "Simply distributing leaflets does not constitute a crime."

Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, is conducting an unlimited debate on the amendment to the Inter-Korean Relations Development Act at the National Assembly plenary session on the morning of the 14th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the other hand, the People Power Party has raised its voice in criticism, labeling the law as the "Kim Yo-jong Command Law." This is because the government and ruling party hastily moved to legislate after Kim Yo-jong, the first deputy director of the North Korean Workers' Party, issued a statement in June criticizing the distribution of leaflets to North Korea.

On the day, Tae Young-ho, a People Power Party lawmaker who was the first speaker in the filibuster against the law prohibiting leaflet distribution to North Korea, stepped down from the podium in the plenary session after 10 hours and 2 minutes.

Tae said, "It is unthinkable that the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea would make a law at the request of Kim Yo-jong, the North Korean deputy director," and added, "If Kim Yo-jong had not demanded 'make a law,' would they have thought of making such a law? What is this nonsense?"

He criticized the law, saying, "This law prevents freedom, equality, and democratic spirit from entering North Korea, and it is a law that joins hands with Kim Jong-un to keep North Korean residents forever in a state of slavery," and warned, "If this law passes, it will result in blocking the eyes and ears of North Korean residents."

Jung Jin-seok, a People Power Party lawmaker, commented on Tae’s debate on his Facebook, calling it a "vivid story of North Korea," and argued, "We should deal with North Korean issues based on the market principle of supply and demand. We must not block the channels through which information flows into North Korea." He added, targeting Tae, "He is passionately emphasizing the unfairness of the 'Kim Yo-jong Command Law' that prohibits the distribution of leaflets to North Korea as if spitting blood."

Another party member, Cho Soo-jin, also wrote on her Facebook, "Tae, who escaped North Korea because he hated dictatorship, is witnessing 'real dictatorship,'" and said, "Listening to Tae’s 'lecture,' which strongly criticizes North Korea’s people's democracy while emphasizing the constitutional values of the Republic of Korea, gave me a strange feeling."

She continued, "Tae must feel more than anyone else about the behavior of the Republic of Korea’s 'dinosaur ruling party,'" and sharply stated, "The political system that North Korea promotes is also 'democracy.'"

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