'Anti-North Korea Leaflet Law' Approved by State Council... Government "Thoroughly Preparing for Law Implementation"

On the night of June 22, a balloon sent by a North Korean defector organization for leaflet distribution fell on a hillside near Magok-ri, Seomyeon, Hongcheon-gun on the 23rd, and the police are collecting it.
The discovered balloon for leaflet distribution is 2 to 3 meters in size and has a photo of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and his family attached.

The Act Prohibiting the Distribution of Leaflets to North Korea (Partial Amendment to the Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations) passed the Cabinet meeting on the 22nd amid international criticism.

The Ministry of Unification announced on the same day, "The government held the 62nd Cabinet meeting of 2020, chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, on the morning of the 22nd, and deliberated and approved the promulgation bill for the partial amendment of the 'Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations.'"

Prime Minister Chung urged Minister of Unification Lee In-young, "Since various opinions have been raised regarding the Act Prohibiting the Distribution of Leaflets to North Korea, please thoroughly prepare to ensure that the law is implemented in accordance with the purpose of the amendment while closely communicating with related organizations."

Minister Lee responded, "We will do our best to protect the lives, bodies, and residential safety of citizens in border areas, which is the basic intent of the amended law."

He also stated, "To prevent unnecessary misunderstandings about the contents of the bill, we will closely consult with the National Assembly, which proposed and passed the bill, and strengthen communication with the public to enhance understanding of the bill's contents."

Minister Lee further announced, "Before the law takes effect, we plan to establish 'Interpretation Guidelines on the Regulation of Leaflet Distribution' to ensure there are no disruptions in the law's enforcement." He added, "Through these interpretation guidelines, we will clarify that acts of distributing leaflets from third countries are not subject to this law, in line with the original legislative intent."

Meanwhile, the government views the international criticism of the Act Prohibiting the Distribution of Leaflets to North Korea as stemming from misunderstanding and misinterpretation, and is explaining the law to the media while engaging in direct contact and persuasion through diplomatic channels.

An official from the Ministry of Unification said, "Last week, we provided explanatory materials on the amendment of the 'Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations' related to leaflet regulation to over 50 foreign diplomatic missions in Korea," adding, "We will further strengthen communication with the international community to seek broad understanding of this bill."

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