Police Conduct Search and Seizure at Park Sang-hak, Head of the Free Joseon Movement, Office Over 'Anti-North Korea Leaflet Distribution' (Update)

The Free North Korea Movement, an organization of North Korean defectors, announced that they distributed leaflets to North Korea between the 25th and 29th in the areas of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon-do adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The photo shows Representative Park Sang-hak holding the leaflets. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Police have launched a search and seizure operation at the office of Park Sang-hak, head of the Free Joseon Movement, who claimed to have distributed leaflets to North Korea.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Security Investigation Unit confirmed that on the morning of the 6th, investigators were sent to Park's office and other locations to carry out the search and seizure.

The Free Joseon Movement announced that between the 25th and 29th of last month, they sent 500,000 leaflets to North Korea, along with 500 booklets and 5,000 one-dollar bills, in areas adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces. The police have been conducting a preliminary investigation to verify the facts regarding these claims of leaflet distribution to North Korea.

This leaflet distribution is the first to occur since the implementation of the so-called "Anti-North Korea Leaflet Act" (an amendment to the Act on the Development of Inter-Korean Relations) in March of this year. The amended law stipulates that broadcasting with loudspeakers and leaflet distribution near the Military Demarcation Line can be punished with up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.

Park had expressed opposition to the enforcement of the Anti-North Korea Leaflet Act and declared that he would continue sending leaflets to North Korea as a form of protest. Since this is the first case of leaflet distribution after the law's enforcement, there is keen interest in how the investigation and application of punishment provisions will proceed.

Following the emergence of this leaflet distribution case, Police Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong reprimanded the police for their lukewarm response on the 2nd and ordered a thorough investigation.

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