Criticism of North Korea Leaflet Ban Met with 'Counter Public Opinion War'... Government Faces Self-Serving Interpretation and Mistranslation Controversy

US NGO "Ministry of Unification Misused My Statement... Disappointed"
Minister Kang Kyung-hwa Calls Interview 'Intentional Mistranslation' Controversy a "Mistake"
US Anchor's Translation and Promotion Made It Seem Like Support for Leaflet Ban

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

The government and ruling party are engaging in a 'counter public opinion campaign' through relay contributions and interviews in response to international criticism of the Act on the Prohibition of Leaflet Distribution to North Korea (Amendment to the Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations). However, in the process, they have been drawing criticism for self-serving interpretations, exaggerated claims, and mistranslations.

On the 22nd (local time), Carl Gershman, president of the U.S. nonprofit organization National Endowment for Democracy (NED), said in an interview with Radio Free Asia (RFA), "The Ministry of Unification of South Korea has misused my media interview content related to leaflet activities toward North Korea, and I am disappointed."

Earlier, on the 15th, the Ministry of Unification claimed in its 'Explanation Materials on the Amendment to the Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations' that "there is no evidence that leaflet distribution to North Korea improves North Korean human rights." It also argued that leaflets have the opposite effect by strengthening the North Korean authorities' social control, worsening the human rights of North Korean residents, and do not guarantee the right to know for North Korean residents.

The Ministry of Unification cited President Gershman's remarks as the basis for these claims. The ministry wrote, "NED President Gershman also stated in an interview with Voice of America (VOA) that leaflet distribution to North Korea is not an effective method of information inflow."

In response, President Gershman stated that his interview was misused. He said the Ministry of Unification arbitrarily used his remarks to justify the prohibition of leaflet distribution. In his June interview with VOA, Gershman did say, "I do not see leaflet distribution as a very effective method of information inflow," but the intent of the interview was to argue that South Korea's leaflet prohibition law is unjust. He repeatedly emphasized in the interview that "(the leaflet prohibition law) would only damage South Korea's democracy and freedom of expression."

Gershman said, "Civil society and human rights organizations working to expand access to information within North Korea and improve basic human rights are helping to lay the foundation for a more peaceful and unified Korean Peninsula."

The government, aiming to create favorable international public opinion regarding the leaflet prohibition law, also faced controversy over mistranslations.

In promoting Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's interview with CNN on the 16th (local time), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs introduced the host's remarks criticizing North Korea's military response to leaflets as if the South Korean government supported the leaflet prohibition law.

When accusations of intentional mistranslation arose, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs belatedly explained, "It was a mistake during the translation process," and "the related content has been corrected."

The government and ruling party have not hesitated to make excessive claims far removed from international common sense, inviting criticism. In the interview, Minister Kang responded to the host's mention that some in the U.S. Congress were raising issues about the leaflet matter by saying, "Freedom of expression is a very important human right, but it is not absolute," and "It can be restricted."

The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG), a North Korean human rights documentation organization, pointed out, "It is not that freedom of expression is absolute and that the law is wrong, but that it is an 'excessive legislation' and 'excessive punishment law' far removed from international norms and standards."

On the 22nd, Song Young-gil, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote in a contribution to the North Korea-specialized media 38 North, "(Freedom of expression) is believed to be more perfectly guaranteed under the Constitution in South Korea than in the United States," and claimed, "Even acts such as burning an effigy of President Moon Jae-in are allowed as freedom of expression."

Meanwhile, the government and ruling party view criticism of the leaflet prohibition law as stemming from misunderstanding and misinterpretation, and are actively voicing their positions both domestically and internationally.

In addition to Minister Kang and Representative Song, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-geun appeared on MBC Radio on the 18th and claimed it was "the minimum legal measure to protect the right to life of 1.2 million residents in border areas." On the 21st, Seo Ho, Vice Minister of Unification, personally contributed an article to NK News, a U.S.-based North Korea specialized media outlet, stating that "(leaflet distribution) is an irresponsible and inefficient act that infringes on the right to life of South Korean citizens for the sake of North Korean residents' human rights."

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